Ruby's story Part 1
by valeries26
Summary: Avenger Ruby Romanoff at age 7 had lost her memories. Now, at 20, she finds herself in their World. She wants to go home, but that is a challenge since she don't know how to got there. She decides to join the Straw Hats as their Strategist while she figures out a way back home. The New version of Ruby's Story, expanded crew, new arcs, and more. Future Pairing - Marco/Ruby
1. Ruby's Past

Disclaimer: I don't own The One Piece Characters, but I do own Ruby and her sisters.

The East Blue Saga

Arc 1: Chapters 0-2: The Ruby Arc

Chapter 0: Ruby's past

Date: August 26th, 2002

Location: SHIELD HQ, Top Secret Location

She felt like she rose from a deep, dark sea, coming back to her body. She slowly opened her eyes. Her nose burnt as she peered around a small room, taking in everything.

A strange machine beeped off to her left, a box had moving images just like the…she blinked. Just like what? She sneezed, her eyes snapping shut and her body curled forwarded. She leant back. Her right index figure rubbed her nose. She looked around, again. Where was she, anywhere? Nothing in this room looked familiar. She stretched the side of her head. She felt something wrapped around her head. Maybe mommy put it there for some reason.

She pulled off the strange clothes pin thing off her finger before she reached over and pulled the white thing off her upper left arm. She swung her legs over the bed before she hopped down. Something pulled at her chest. She looked own her gown and found four little white squares. She reached down. She whimpered as she slowly pulled the first one off.

' _Just like a bandage,'_ she thought, _'Easier to be quick,'_ as she jerked the last three off.

She walked toward the door, but she felt a sharp pain in her lower left arm. She glanced down and spotted a needle sticking out of her arm. She grabbed it and pulled it out of her arm. She noticed blood start run down her arm.

"Uh-oh," she muttered. She looked around and saw paper towels on the counter by the sink. She reached up and grabbed a couple. She placed it against her boo-boo. She held her cup hand there. Her eyes drifted around the room, "Mommy won't be upset, now," she said, softly.

Her orbs landed on a pretty green ribbon on a flower vase. She grabbed the ribbon with her free hand before she wrapped it around the paper towels, holding them in place.

Now, she could go play. She grinned, brightly. She walked to the door, looking for the door handle. The door slid open by itself. She went starry-eyed, whispered, "So cool!"

She stepped into the hallway and choose to go down the left hallway. She wonder where her sisters were hiding at. A frown briefly crossed her lips. Her sisters were playing hide-and-seek without her. She grinned, brightly. She was gonna get them. She giggled as she ran down the hallway.

Ten minutes later, she had no clue where she was at. A loud siren blarred to life. She let a small scream, slapping her hands over her ears to block the annoying sound. Red lights flashed through the hallway. She whimpered, sacred. Where was her mommy and daddy?

She turned around, looking for her mommy and daddy. Maybe they were with her sisters. She sniffed. Didn't daddy say once she had to be strong for her younger sisters because she was the oldest? She nodded to herself. Mommy and daddy, maybe, protecting her sisters from the flashing red monster. She had to find them and help mommy and daddy protect her sisters.

She ran down the halls, looking for a hint of her mommy, daddy, or sisters. Her ears rang with the screams of the monster, but she heard the rhythmic thudding of footsteps. She paled. Her eyes darted around. There! A door! She could hide in there until the monster past. She flew over to the door and pulled on the door handle. The door inched back. She slipped a hand between the door and the frame. She pushed on the door and squeezed her body between the frame and the door. She placed her hands on the door, slowly, closing the door.

She waited for the monster to past the door. She held the side of her head up to the door, trying to listen. She heard the door handle move. She gasped. Her blue orbs widen with fear. The Monster! It found her!

She backed up, away from the door. She bit her lower lips to keep from whimpering, loudly. She wanted her daddy. Her daddy would protect her from the monster.

The door opened. She squeezed her eyes shut. She crunched down in a little ball. Her arms over her head. She didn't want to see the monster. It couldn't hurt her if she couldn't see it, right?

A soft giggle rang through the air. She paused. She peered through one eye to look at the doorway. She blinked, opening both eyes. A woman with red, curly hair stood there.

She raised her head. She heard the woman say something she didn't understand. She uncurled from her ball and slowly stepped toward the woman. Was this woman her mother?

They had some hair color. Plus, this woman seemed familiar.

"MOMMY!" She launched her tiny frame into the woman, "I was sacred, mommy," She cried, rubbing her face in her mommy's chest, "don't leave me, again, mommy."

~Natasha~

"Agent Romanoff," Nick Fury called out before the infamous Black Widow could leave his office, "I need you to join on the search party," she looked confused, "Our little Jane Doe finally woke up and ran off to god knows where."

"I'm surprised that our princess is up and moving after a three month coma," Natasha Romanoff replied, "But I'll see what I can do to help."

The Black Widow walked to the Jane Doe's room, planning to get some clues when she spotted the red head girl opening up a door and disappear into a closet. A moment later, a squad of SHIELD agents came thudding through. One of the agents stopped by her and asked, "Agent Romonoff, have you seen a little girl came through her?"

"No," she replied. The agent nodded and hurried away. Natasha shook her head. She would be recommending to someone to double the shealth training. She walked calmly to the closet door and slowly turned the door knob. She opened the closet door, standing behind the door. She half expected to be attacked. She peered around the door.

The girl shook in fear, hiding her head under her arms. Natasha giggled at the image. The girl looked up and stood up. Natasha said, "Hey little one, what are you doing in here?"

"Ka-san!" the girl cried out and threw herself at Natasha, repeating the word.

A few minutes later, the Black Widow told the short story at Fury.

He grinned at her, responded, "Ka-san meaning in Japanese mom, mother, mommy. Welcome to motherhood." He told her cheerfully, "Take care of our Jane Doe." Fury stood up and called out "Have fun" before he left the room, leaving the girl and Natasha alone.

Date: December 17, 2009

Time: 10:30 pm

Location: New York – a random Street

Ruby Romanoff walked on the sidewalk, heading home. Her head bopped to the music she listened to, ignoring the world around her. She didn't hear the screeching tires. She did see the black figures swarm around her. She opened her mouth to scream. A cold hand covered her mouth. Ruby felt sharp pain in the side of her neck. Darkness carried her away.

Date: Unknown

Time: Unknown

Location: A Small Room, unknown

Ruby's head throbbed. She stared into the darkness. The only sound echoed in the room was the sound of her breathing. She shifted, uncomfortable. She gasped. Fire like pain erupted in her hips, lower back, and upper thighs. Her eyes watered. A tear slipped down her dirty cheek.

Where was her mother? Ruby never wanted her mother more. She remembered the last conversation they had.

" _Why I can't go the basketball game? All of my friends will be there and we already made plans," Ruby argued._

" _I said no, Ruby," Natasha glared at the teen, "I don't you want to go. I have to be out of town for a couple days."_

" _I hate you, Natasha," Ruby whispered, "I want my real parents."_

** The sound of the door slamming shut echoed in Ruby's head. She curled up on the floor. She whispered, "I'm sorry, mama," she fought tears, "Please forgive me, mama." She closed her eyes, trying to image someone saving her from this nightmare.

Location: The Moby Dick

Marco woke, rubbing his eyes or he tried to. He opened his eyes and stared down at his body. Angry trills escaped his break as he realized what happen. It was his mating season – for the next two long fucking weeks.

Someone pounded on his door and Thatch called out, "Hey, Marco, are you awake?"

Marco buried his head under his wing. This time of year was also known as Pick on Marco Season.

Thatch opened the door and commented, "I guess we will have to find you a lady bird so Pops can have birdy grandkids."

Marco lifted his head and glared at the cook. The entire crew was aware of the fact Marco was extremely testy during his mating season. Thatch shouldn't look so surprise when Marco launched off the bed at the 4th division commander.

~Ruby~

Her blue orbs snapped open when she heard the door open and shut. Her rapist stepped into the room, blending in with the darkness. Ruby glared at him. He stepped forward.

"Where is Natasha Romanoff?" he questioned. It was the same question, every fucking time he stepped into the room.

"I have no clue," she repeated her answer, "Even if I knew where the woman was at, I wouldn't tell you, asshole." She felt his displeased gaze behind his mask.

Her rapist growled. He reached down for one of her legs. Ruby felt his hand wrap around her left ankle. He dragged her toward him.

Not again! No! Ruby had enough. She felt something snap deep within her mind.

Light pooled into the room behind the injuried teen. A soft breeze carrying the scent of the ocean filled the room. Ruby turned her head. The man stopped, looking in that direction.

The red head forced her right leg up close to her rear, her hands curled on the rim of whatever it was behind her, and she jerked her leg out of her rapist gasp. She pushed backwards as the man tried to grab her again. Ruby fell backwards into thin air with a mile-wide grin. She would take anything over being raped again. She flipped the man off as she started to drift downward.

Ruby lend back, spreading her arms out. She viewed the pretty blue, cloudless sky in the first time in what felt like forever. She took a deep breath, inhaling the salty air, closing her eyes. She felt her greasy red hair fly about her head. She opened her eyes. Her grin disappeared.

Her rapist jumped out of the black hole after her. A mental arm extended out. She knew he glared at her from behind his blacken goggles and face mask.

Ruby cursed, softly. She twisted in the air. She snapped her legs together. She pinned her arms to her sides. She faced downward. Her eyes widen.

There was a crystal blue ocean for miles around. It sparkled in the sunlight like a dozen diamonds, except for one spot. Ruby couldn't make it out. As she got closer, she noticed it was a ship.

~Marco~

Marco let out a sigh as he fought the urge to maul some of the people he was forced to call siblings. Pops wouldn't do anything. He found it as amusing as the rest of the family did that Marco had transformed for his mating season. He sat highest point on the tallest mast. He cocked his head, hearing something…was that screaming?

His keen eye sight darted over the deck. Who the hell was screaming? Where they under attack? If they were, he would be able to work off some stress. He hoped they were under attack. He didn't see any enemy ships nearby. The screaming got closer. He glanced up. He blinked twice to make sure he was not seeing things.

A red head cute teen fell toward the ship with a man dressed in black clothes and he had a mental arm.

That had to be the strangest thing the Phoenix had seen in a long time since the crew traveled through Paradise. One time, a rotten ship fell on top of them while they were heading to Jaya.

~Ruby~

She couldn't help the scream that escaped her as she neared the ship's sails. She could have sworn there was a huge blue bird sitting on one of the masts, but she fell too fast to really see it. She reached out and grabbed one of the sails, trying to slow her fall.

There was a loud squawk as Ruby grabbed onto something, but it gave away. She brought her left hand up into her sight. Yup, there was a blue bird, nearby. She held a blue feather in her hand. She reached out again and grabbed the sail. She felt her body turn in the air and slammed into the sail.

Her rapist flew by and straight into the deck with a crashing boom. Ruby hoped he had died a painful death.

She held onto the sail as tight as she could. She heard a loud rip and glanced at her hands. Her fingers dug through the sail. She slid down toward the deck with a small squeak. She felt her feet hit something and she let out a sigh of relief.

She saw a flash of blue out of the corner of her eye and she turned her head. The huge blue bird floated a few feet away, watching her. She blinked at it. Was that a phoenix?

"Beautiful," she breathed. The bird cooed softly.

There was a loud commotion from the deck. Ruby looked down and cursed a blue streak as she noticed the rapist stepped out of the hole. The bird let out a laughing sound. She glared at the bird and commented, "It's not funny. I can't believe he's still alive. Damn him. I can't take anymore. I rather die." The bird cocked its head to the side. "I think you are a phoenix, if I am right." Ruby's eyes darted downward. She didn't see the bird look at her. "I wish I could be a bird," she whispered, wishfully, "At least, I could get away from that raping monster."

The phoenix let out a series of angry trills. Ruby stared at it wide eyed. The phoenix flew close to her, turned around, and stared at her before it motion to climb on. She blinked at it. She reached out her left arm and wrapped it around the base of the Phoenix's neck before she wrapped her other arm and grabbed her left wrist within her right hand. She shifted her body weight onto the phoenix.

The Phoenix shot forwarded. Ruby ducked her head down, almost burying her face into the bird's back. She felt the bird slow down and she glanced up, spotting a huge man with a black bandana covering his blond hair and a white mustache under his nose. She paled. She looked around. She saw men, half dressed and armed. They looked at her and her rapist with curiosity looks on their faces.

The phoenix drifted to the deck before it did a quick motion and Ruby hung from its neck. She whimpered, not wanting to let go. She felt her feet touched the deck.

Ruby heard some shuffle forward after a moment. She stepped closer to the bird and tighten her gasp on her arms. She bit her lower lip. She felt a pair of hands grab her shoulders. She flinched. Her eyes darted over her shoulder to see a woman wearing thick make-up and a flowery kimono. The woman gently pulled the teen away from the bird.

Ruby noticed one important thing after the phoenix shot toward her rapist. The woman with the flowery kimono was flat chested and when she spoke to Ruby, she had a deep voice. Ruby stared in horror. It was a man dressed as a woman. Her blue orbs rolled up into her head and she fell backwards as darkness swept her away.

Date: May 09, 2012

Time: 1:45 pm

Location: Downtown New York City, New York

Ruby Romanoff stared at the huge portal in the sky above Stark Tower in New York. She was 17 years old and she knew she might not live to see another sunrise. Why? Two reasons. One, a Norse God known as Loki decided to throw a huge fit because he figured out he was adopted. The second reason, aliens – real, fucking aliens – flew out of the portal and started to invade Earth.

Ruby sighed. Today was already a long day and now, it was going to get even longer. She moved away from the viewport and strapped herself into a seat. She noticed the World War II hero, Captain America stood, holding a bar above his head.

After she saw the huge creature known as the Hulk grabbed Iron Man from mid-air, Ruby panted as she looked around at the destruction. New York was not ready for something like this…alien invasion. She lent against a car. She heard Captain America through her earpiece, "Red Widow, you still with us?"

"Yeah, Cap," Ruby replied back, "I'm still here."

"Meet us back at Stark Tower," Captain America ordered.

"Yes, sir," Ruby said. She limped toward the tower. Her body ached as she made the track toward Stark Tower. She really wanted to punch Loki, now.

Date: August 20, 2015

Time: 9:45am

Location: Upper New York State, college campus

Ruby muttered a curse as she shoved the things she needed for the day into her bag. She was running late. She had overslept by two hours. Usually, she was already on campus by 8 and studied in the library before she went to her first class. Now, her first class was in 15 minutes. She grabbed her hair brush, grabbed her Ipod (it was her second one in 7 years. She somehow lost her first one while she was held and raped by a man known as the Winter Soldier), and forced her feet into her combat boots she wore out of habit, now. She slammed the dorm front door behind her as she dashed out. She slipped her arms through the straps of her book bag. She reached the bottom of the stairs and cursed as she realized she forgot her shinai. She doubled back and reached into her closet, grabbing the bamboo stick. She jumped over the stairs and landed in a crunch. She pushed up and headed to campus.

Ruby reached the main street. She glanced in both directions before she started across. She heard screeching tires. She glanced over at her right and saw a Semi trying to stop. How the hell did she missed that? She felt something surge through her.

By the time the semi stopped, Ruby Romanoff was gone, leaving nothing behind, except for her hair brush.

~Ruby's Story~

I hope you enjoy this first chapter of the edited version of Ruby's Story. The last version was so damn shitty I can't believe I had written that. I started to read over some of the chapters because the last version I was writing a few dozen flashbacks for Chapter 30 when I realized the plot hole the size of the United States. I knew I could do better. So, here is the prologue of Ruby's Story.

Please tell me what you think.


	2. Ruby Romanoff is on the Cruise

Disclaimer: I don't own The One Piece Characters, but I do own Ruby and her sisters.

The East Blue Saga

Arc 1: Chapters 0-2: The Ruby Arc

RSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRS

Chapter 1: Ruby Romanoff's on the Cruise

Ruby Romanoff groaned as she slowly woke up. She felt the hot sun beat on her face. She opened her sky blue eyes. She looked around. Her bamboo sword laid near her left hand. She felt her green book bag shifting on her back as she moved her body. Her red hair stuck to her face like a glove as she noticed she was on top of a building. Something bit into her hands and knees. She looked down to see she was on gravel roof top. She pushed herself up to her feet and walked toward the edge of the building. Her right hand brushed away her hair and little bits of grovel from her face. Her eyes stared at what was happening below.

People of every shape and size were running around, going into some buildings and out of the building, carrying bags. There were groups of young women following a man who running from the buildings, ordering them to help. Chatter from below was starting to reach her ears as she watched. The dialogue sounded different from what she was used to and personally, it sounded like she was in entire different country. Kora? China? She thought she recognized the language, but her mind felt fuzzy.

'How would that be possible?' Ruby thought. She was walking to class and she drew a blank on what happen next. She pulled back from the edge of the building. She turned around and walked a couple paces before hearing the language again. Her eyes darted up and saw a door of a small building was slowly being opened. What would a person do when she is possible in a different country with no knowledge of local dialogue? Panic. Her adoptive mother would be so ashamed.

She grabbed her bamboo sword and darted toward the small building, feeling stupid. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears. Ruby waited for the people either go back downstairs or….something. She didn't care as long as she was not discovered. She listened as the people started walking across the grovel roof. She turned her gaze to her surroundings.

There were buildings nearby she could jump to without her book bag, but with her book bag, it would be iffy. Her book bag weight from carrying her school books, notebooks, and laptop.

Ruby peered around the corner of the small building. There were two men. One of the two men were a non-descript kind of man. The other man looked familiar with white hair, white jacket, and blue jeans. Smoke drifted toward the sky, indicating he was a smoker.

The voices came closer. Ruby grabbed the book bag straps, pulling them tight against her shoulders. She spotted their shadows moved toward her hiding spot, paused for a bit, and continued to walk toward her. She muffled a groan and tightened her gripped on her shinai, waiting for her time to arrive. She slipped her weapon through her book bag straps.

She heard the soft crunch of the gravel as they walked along the building housing the stairs. Ruby heard her heart pounding in her chest. She smelt the faint scent of tobacco drifting through the air. She looked toward the next building. She placed her hands on either side of her body. She took a deep breath. Her legs pumped. She headed straight toward the edge.

"OI!" Someone yelled behind her. She ignored them as she tried gain speed. She bent down on her left leg, planting on the roof's edge and pushed off, jumping over the large gap that was between the two buildings. She thought the gap would be smaller than this 35 feet gap. Her sky blue eyes looked down and she paled. There were three stories of nothing but air before she would hit anything.

'Ain't that nice,' she thought, 'If mom finds out about this, she will never let me live this one down.'

Ruby noticed she losing altitude. She neared the next building and hit the edge of the roof top. She felt the air forced out of her lungs. Her lower half slammed against the brick wall. Her midsection ached. Her vision swam, darkening than brighten. She hanged there.

Ruby heard a nasal kind of voice on the other building. She saw a shadow blocking out the sun above her, on the roof. She froze, weighting her options. She turned her head, looking up and got a face full of white smoke. Her eyes widen in surprise. Her lips parted. She jerked her body away from the smoke. She felt her body drift a moment in the air before gravity took effect. She fell three stories down.

Ruby landed on something bouncy. She went flying through the air, again. She managed get her feet under her body and landed on her feet. She stumbled before she righted herself. She looked up to see the white smoke followed her down to street level. She watched the smoke transformed into the man with a white jacket. Ruby now saw his front side and noticed his jacket was open to reveal his bare, muscled chest. He wore a pair of tight blue jeans and he smoked two cigars.

He stepped forward. Ruby twisted her body the opposite direction. She ran down the alley and she reached the alley mouth. She swayed her hips, planting her right foot before she changed directions, heading to the right. Ruby knew she needed to disappear into the crowd. She glanced behind her and she made a surprise noise in her throat. The cigar man chased after her.

She turned her gaze forward. She moved her legs faster. She felt the familiar burn in her legs. Her arms swung back and forth. She spotted another alley a few feet ahead. Ruby neared the alley. Her right arm snapped out and her hand wrapped around a pole attached to a vender's stand. She swung her body around the tight corner. Her sky blue eyes went wide as she crashed into a young man with a scar under his left eye.

Ruby wrapped her legs around the man's middle. Her hands held onto his shoulders, steading herself. He grabbed her waist, giving her a puzzled look.

'Public displays of affection makes people uncomfortable,' Natasha Romanoff had informed Ruby once before on a mission.

Ruby tighten her grip on the man's shoulders before she shifted her body weight. The man stumbled, turning around. She felt her back hit the wall. She smirked and slid her right hand up into the man's black hair, nearly knocking off the straw hat. She pulled his head toward hers, slamming their lips together, closing her eyes.

Ruby heard several startled noises. One blue orb popped open, taking in a familiar looking group of three men and a young woman. Sincerely, who the hell would color their hair to the shade of a green cabbage? Ruby noticed surprise coloring their faces. She glanced at each of them, noticing their characteristics.

The cabbage head carried three swords at his side. He wore a white shirt with sweat stains around the armpits and near the collar.

Next to Cabbage head, a long nose, tan man with curly black hair. On top of his head, a tan checkerboard bandana and a pair of goggles held his hair down. He wore a pair of brown overalls with a light tan sash - or was it a belt?- around his waist.

The last man was a blonde with a curly eyebrow. He wore a nice black suit with a white undershirt and a navy blue tie. He was different from his companions. There was a knowing glint in his eyes. His shoulders tensed. He was just like her – an assassin with a day job.

The young woman in the group had orange fucking hair, just like a carrot tops Ruby had seen roaming around the college campus, but her color hair was a brighter shade of carrot. She wore a white tank top with a bandage around her left shoulder and a blue skirt. She obviously had some sort of weapon, hiding under the skirt, but Ruby couldn't tell what was it.

Ruby pulled back away from the young man, risking a glance up toward the alley mouth. She smirked. That cigar man was gone.

Ruby unwrapped her legs from the young man's waist, placing her feet back on the ground. She smiled at the young man who had a faint blush on his pale checks. Ruby walked between the young man and the group of four. Her right hand slipped to the cabbage head's waist, grasping the white sheath of one of his three swords. Her left hand nicked the straw hat. She walked away.

'Good job, Ruby,' she thought to herself, 'Your mother would be proud. Just get something to cover up and figure out where the hell you are at.'

Ruby slipped her new sword between her blue jeans and belt. She reached up and took the hair tie out of her hair, making her shoulder length blood red hair fall about her shoulders. She ran her fingers through her hair, making sure the red strands didn't fall into her face and placed the straw hat over her hair. Ruby hoped she looked like a traveler just passing through. She kept her gaze roaming around. Her eyes saw a mirror nearby and she paused. She walked over to the mirror.

Ruby allowed her eyes roam over the image. The Straw Hat paired with her blood red hair reminded her of someone. A sharp pain flickered through her mind. She winced. She reached, placing her right hand against her head as she saw the image in the mirror transform into another person.

The new person had shorter blood red hair, just stopping belong the ears. Ruby spotted three scars, running from a couple inches above the eyebrow, going over the left eye, and stopping an inch or two belong the eye. He had smiling dark eyes. She knew the person was a 'he'. His lips stretched out into a wide grin with the beginnings of a mustache and a bread framing his lips the same color of his hair.

Ruby knew this man. She didn't know where or how. She just knew she did know this man. Ruby blinked. The image disappeared into her reflection. Something moved in the distanced over her right shoulder. She reached out and adjusted the mirror.

The cabbage haired man, the long nose fella, and the blonde assassin spread out, trying to corner her. The man she kissed was coming straight at her. The four moved through the crowd, but where was the woman? Ruby saw her lips twitched into a coy, playful smirk. She took a several deep breaths then bolted to the left. She knew somebody used several curses behind her in the local language. She snorted in amusement.

Ruby spotted the cigar man stepping out of a nearby shop. She muttered a curse. The cigar man turned his head to view her. She couldn't stop running. She improvised. She planted her left foot less than a foot away from the cigar man. He raised his hand. Ruby ducked under his raised hand. She spun around his front. She saw the cabbage head, the long nose, and the scar under his eye man still chasing her. The blonde assassin was nowhere in sight. She finished her spin and darted through the crowded street.

"OI!" she heard the cigar man yelled. Ruby rolled her eyes. She cursed the fact the street was too damn packed for running. She got shoved to the side. She pushed two people out of the way. She spotted a stack of boxes going up the side of a building.

'I guess it's time to parkour, assassin's creed style,' she thought. She pushed upward, tucking her legs up to her chest. She felt her feet land on the edge of the box. She threw her weight forwarded, pushing to her feet. She placed her left foot on the next box. 'When I get back home, I really need to learn how to parkour, properly,' Ruby promised herself. She struggled up to climb up the next three boxes, 'Ezio made this look so fucking easy.'

Ruby finally reached the top of the boxes. She glanced back and saw the cabbage haired followed her up the boxes. She turned and jumped onto a lamp pole that extended from the wall. She bounced from lamp pole to lamp pole, only stopping when she reached the wall. She ran up the wall and grabbed the edge of the roof. She felt her arms ache as she pulled herself up onto the roof.

Ruby took a look back and noticed the green haired man lost his balance and fell onto of the young man she kissed. She laughed. The green haired man yelled something at her. She ignored it and stood up. She walked across the roof top. She took a deep breath. She paused. What was that scent? She sniffed the air. She turned to the right. She blinked.

Cobalt blue sky met a clear blue ocean.

Ruby's college was nowhere near the blasted ocean. It was so far inland that the closest body of water was the two rivers meeting three miles away.

Ruby heard a noise. She glanced where it came from and saw the blonde assassin, staring at her, smoking a cigarette. He spoke with a rich tone. The words and the tone sounded familiar like she heard them before somewhere.

~Sanji~

It started out to be a lovely day, not a cloud in the sky. The Straw Hats Pirates landed on an island to restock on supplies since there was a certain straw hat captain who ate all of the food Sanji had stocked from Cocoyashi Village, including some of the leftovers from the feast the village people had in celebration of their new freedom from Arlong. It _had_ started out as a lovely day.

Now, some lady stole Luffy's straw hat and one of moss head's swords before leading the crew on a chase through a crowded street. Sanji broke off from the other three and climbed to the roof tops, watching the red head lady. Eventually, she managed to shake off moss head and stood on a roof, looking down at his captain and the moss head with amusement.

Sanji causally walked over, jumping over the gaps between buildings. His landing made enough noise that the woman looked over at him. The cook of the Straw Hat Pirates took in the woman, noticing she stood with her shoulders back and her eyes level with his visible eye. She was one of the most beautiful ladies he had ever seen. Her red hair reflected the sun's rays, making her hair seem to be covered in blood. She had an oval face with smooth skin, a small nose, plump lips, a rounded chin with a strong jaw. His eye traveled lower to her small chest, over her toned midsection, her wide childbearing hips, and down her long, toned legs to her feet. Her left hand was bare of any jewelry unlike her right which had a ring with a red spider surrounded by an onyx. Her left upper arm, just like his sweet, darling Nami, held a tattoo, but this lady's tattoo was an eagle within a circle. On the eagle's chest, there was a mutli-colored A. He thought it looked familiar. Maybe he saw it when he was younger.

"Please, miss, I don't want to fight you," He started, "But if you could be most kind to hand over the Straw Hat and the sword, my crew mates would be happy."

She cocked a red eyebrow. She took a step back. A confused glint entered her blue eyes. Sanji sighed, closing one eye. He took his hands out of his pockets. The woman tensed, ready for a fight. He slowly raised his hands up, showing he wasn't going to fight her.

"Do you understand me?" he asked. She didn't reply. Her eyes darted over his shoulder and returned to settle on him. He partly turned to see moss head, the shitty captain, the shitty lair, and Nami-swan standing there.

~Ruby~

The blonde haired assassin raised his hands and spoke something else. Ruby kept quiet, but noticed his teammates finally showed up. She waited for the other assassin turn around. She bolted away.

"Matte!" the blonde shouted.

'Matte? Matte…. where did I hear that word before?' Ruby thought as she threw herself into the air. She soared before she landed on a foot, her leg straightened to a painful lock. She raced across the roof top, trying to create some space between the blonde and herself. She glanced over her shoulder and cursed as the blonde, the cabbage head, and the man she kissed ran after her, nearly catching up.

"Gum Gum no," Ruby heard one of the trio call out. She skidded to a stop, kicking up gravel. She looked at the man she kissed. She took in his red vest, blue shorts, and sandles. She grabbed the straw hat from her head and studied it before she threw it toward the man. He grinned widely and caught the hat before he slipped it on.

Ruby's eyes widen. She could have slapped herself. Now, that he was wearing _THE straw hat_ , Ruby finally knew who he was, Monkey D. Luffy the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. That meant cabbage head was 'Pirate Hunter' Roronano Zoro the first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates and the blonde assassin was 'Black Leg' Sanji, the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Ruby pulled the white sheathed sword from her side and tossed it to Zoro. He caught it. She turned away. She jumped off the roof's edge as Sanji called out "Matte!". She felt gravity take a hold and she fell straight down. She landed in a crunch before she rolled to the right, over her shoulder. She got up and walked to the beach.

Ruby felt the sand shift as she put one of her wedge sandal feet on the tan surface. She walked toward the edge of the ocean. She stood there, staring out. The ocean was a deep, beautiful blue that seem to stretched on for miles and miles. She wondered how the hell did she end up in the One Piece world. She knew there were many worlds out there, thanks to long conversations with Thor the god of thunder, but she never thought she would travel to one.

Ruby could call for Thor to take her back home. Would the ever watching man of the biofrost hear her? Was this world even connected to Asguard? What if Thor couldn't come, would she be stuck here forever?

Ruby walked along the shoreline as she thought. SHIELD didn't prepare her for this. She didn't know what do to. She had an idea. Maybe, just maybe, she could travel with the Straw Hats for a bit, not officially join their crew, but similar to what Vivi did, at least. She blinked and saw she had wondered along the shoreline long enough that she walked the dock area.

Ruby stared amazed at the different wooden ships and came to the one she knew as the Going Merry with the skull and crossbones pirate symbol wearing a straw hat. It had been so long since she had seen this ship. Her blue eyes took in the ram figure hand to the small tree grove on top of the kitchen to the back deck.

The next chapter of One Piece, Chapter 798, was supposed to come the day after her birthday. The Straw Hats – Zoro, Luffy, Robin, Franky, and Usopp – were escaping Dressrosa with Law as the Marines chasing after them in Chapter 797. Ruby knew the next arc was gonna start soon.

Ruby was so used to seeing the Thousand Sunny as the Straw Hat ship that seeing the Going Merry looking like a brand new ship was almost weird.

 _June 3, 2007- Saturday Night_

 _Ruby jumped on the couch, excited. She already plugged her laptop up to the TV so she could watch her favorite anime on a bigger screen. The latest episode of One Piece was about to start – 312, Thank you Merry, Snow falls over the parting sea._

 _The Going Merry made a loud creaking sound, a moan, and her bow broke apart from the middle deck. The Straw Hats and their three guests fell forward. Usopp disguised as Sniper King grabbed ahold of the railing and Robin sat on the railing. Chopper fell onto his face causing Luffy to roll over Chopper's head. Sanji countered the sharp angle by sitting down._

" _Merry," Usopp gasped._

" _Why is it breaking all of the sudden," Zoro asked, surprised._

" _There's nothing sudden about it," Sanji replied, "We all knew this was inevitable." Luffy looked over at the cook, "They told us right before we left," Luffy got to his knees, holding his hat, giving his cook his full attention as the cook continued to speak, "they said the Merry was unfit to sail."_

" _Yeah, but," Luffy started to protested._

 _Nami stared horrified down into the crack that formed when the Merry broke apart, seeing the wooden deck pulled apart, leaving jagged edges. "What happen to you, Merry?" The navigator asked._

 _Luffy turned and hurried to his favorite seat, kneeling on his knees, and cried up to the Gallay-La company ship, "Ice-pops, help. Merry is in trouble. Can't you do something? You got here just in time. You all are shipwrights, aren't you? We're begging you."_

 _Ruby gulped back tears as she watched one of the strongest characters she knew in the show beg for a nakama's live._

" _Don't let her die, now," Luffy cried out, "Merry is more then just a ship, she's a member of our crew. If it wasn't for her, we've all would have died back there, so come on, do something!"_

 _The members of the Galley-La didn't say anything for a long moment as Iceburg and Luffy stared at each other. Iceburg's gaze drifted to the figure head before he replied, "She's fought hard for you, but it's time to let her rest." Luffy looked pained and scared. "And besides," Iceburg went on, "I've already done everything I can."_

 _Ruby watched after the comical as the Straw Hats stood in two dingys. Luffy stood in one of the dingys with a lit torch. He set the Going Merry on fire and pushed away from the ship, drifting back toward his crew._

" _Thank you for carrying us for so long and so far, Merry," Luffy whispered._

" _Snow?" Nami held out her hand as snow started to fall. Ruby heard one of the ending themes start to play as various flashbacks clips played, the first time the Straw Hats got the Going Merry, and the Jolly Roger._

 _Ruby watched as the Straw Hats except for Zoro and Sanji fought back tears as the Merry burnt, getting a Viking style funnel. The red head sitting on her couch sniffed, fighting back her own tears._

" _I'm sorry," The Going Merry said. Through the flames, it looked like the Going Merry was crying, "I wanted to carry everyone just a little bit further. I had so much fun. I wished our adventures never end."_

" _Merry," Chopper cried out. Ruby saw Nami sink to her knees, hands covering her face._

" _I'm sorry," the Going Merry repeated. Luffy shouted back, commenting all the times he ran the ship into iceburgs, the fights Sanji and Zoro had, Usopp tried to fix her even though he wasn't a trained shipwright, and cried, falling to his knees. "I was happy. I know you always treated me with love. Thank you."_

 _The Going Marry vanished into flames and Luffy shouted to the heavens, "MERRY!"_

Ruby shook head, trying to get rid of the memory of that episode. She stared at the Going Merry. She walked over to the rope ladder and pulled herself aboard. She stared around the deck.

"This is the first time I'm seeing you in person," Ruby whispered to the ship, running a hand over the smooth white railing, walking up to the bow, "And yet, I know so much you and the crew you are sailing with," a faint smile flickered on her lips.

Ruby walked by the mast. She heard a light thud. She threw her gaze over her right shoulder. Sanji took on the deck, hands in his pockets, giving her a curiosity stare. Zoro's moss colored head appeared as he climbed the rope ladder.

Ruby ignored them, walking back toward the back deck. She heard the light footsteps behind her and glanced over her shoulder. Sanji followed her. She cocked an eyebrow. She knew, from her One Piece research, Sanji could be representing the country of France and he used the French terminology when he called out his attack. She remembered she took a couple French speaking classes back in high school before she decided to get home schooled after the Battle of New York.

" _Bonjour,"_ she greeted.

Sanji blinked at her in surprise and replied, _"Bonjour, madame."_

" _Je ne suis pas madame,"_ Ruby corrected him.

" _Mes excuses, mademoiselle,"_ Sanji said. They stared at each other as Luffy, Nami, and Usopp finished climbing aboard. Zoro and the cowardly duo stood behind Sanji, looking at Ruby with mistrust. Luffy looked at her.

" _Réduisons la chasse,"_ Sanji nodded, agreeing with wither, _"Nous savons tous les deux ce que l'autre est. Je suis Ruby," she introduced herself._

" _C'est un beau nom pour un bijou comme vous. Je suis Sanji, le cuisinier,"_ Sanji replied.

" _Qui sont tes amis?"_ Ruby lend against the railing.

" _Celui portant le chapeau de paille est Luffy, la tête épéiste mousse est Zoro, long nez est Usopp, et la belle dame est Nami. Pourquoi es-tu ici?"_ Sanji asked.

" _Je suis à la recherche d'un navire de voyager pendant un certain temps. Quel est le nom de l'équipage?"_ Ruby replied.

Sanji smiled at her _, "Nous sommes les Pirates Chapeau de Paille."_

" _Anata wa, shankusu no musumede wanai sa rete imasu. Watashi wa anata ga watashi no norikumiin ni sanka shitaidesu,"_ Luffy spoke up a moment later. There was a glint of recognition in his dark eyes.

Ruby blinked at him in surprise. She didn't understand what Luffy said, but she could probably guess from the crews' reactions. Nami stared at him and started at him. Usopp joined in. Zoro and Sanji shrugged their shoulders.

" _Qu'a t'il dit?"_ Ruby asked, confused.

" _Vous êtes la fille de Shanks, ne sont pas vous. Je veux que vous joindre à mon équipe,"_ Sanji translated for her.

Ruby blinked. Shanks' daughter? She didn't know he had any, but that would explain why – the image from the mirror floated forwarded in her mind – she had saw his face in the mirror. She only wanted to travel with the Straw Hats until she figured out how to go home.

"Je n'ai aucune idée. J'ai perdu ma mémoire lorsque j'étais plus jeune. Je ne vais pas rejoindre votre équipe, mais je voudrais voyager avec vous pendant un certain temps," Ruby finally replied.

Sanji turned to Luffy and repeated, "Watashi wa kentōmotsukanai. Watashi ga wakakatta toki, watashi wa watashi no kioku o ushinaimashita. Watashi wa anata no norikumiin ni sanka shimasenga, watashi wa shibarakunoaida, anata-tachi to issho ni ryokō shitai to omoimasu."

Luffy frowned, slightly, and said, "Watashi wa hontōni anata ga watashi no norikumiin ni sanka shitaidesu, Ruby-chan, Watashi wa anata ga watashitachi to issho ni ryokō dekiru yō ni narimasu."

Sanji translated, "Je veux vraiment vous joindre à mon équipe, Ruby-chan, mais je vais vous permettre de voyager avec nous."

"Merci," Ruby nodded her head toward the Straw Hat captain. Sanji reiterated what Ruby said in the local language.

"Dōitashimashite," Luffy said.

RSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRS

The conversation between Ruby and Sanji with Luffy:

Ruby: Hello

Sanji: Hello, madam

Ruby: I'm not a madam.

Sanji: My apologies, miss.

Ruby: Let's cut the chase. We both know what the other is. My name is Ruby.

Sanji: That is a beautiful name for a gem like yourself. I'm Sanji, the cook.

Ruby: Who are your friends?

Sanji: The one wearing the straw hat is Luffy, the moss head swordsman is Zoro, the long nose is Usopp, and the beautiful lady is Nami. Why are you here?

Ruby: I'm looking for a ship to travel on for a while. What's the crew's name?

Sanji: We are the Straw Hat Pirates

Luffy: You are Shanks' daughter, aren't you. I want you to join my crew.

Ruby: What did he say?

Sanji: You are Shanks' daughter, aren't you. I want you to join my crew.

Ruby: I have no clue. I lost my memory when I was younger. I won't join your crew, but I would like to travel with you guys for a while.

Luffy: I really want you to join my crew, Ruby-chan, but I will allow you travel with us.

Sanji: I really want you to join my crew, Ruby-chan, but I will allow you travel with us.

Ruby: Thank you

Sanji: You're welcome

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the new version of the first chapter of Ruby's story. I actually think this chapter is way stronger than previous version I wrote. Please Review.

I will update again this Sunday


	3. Luffy's Wanted Poster

" _Another Language Ruby speaks and understands"_

~New POV~

"English/Japanese" – depending on which POV

Disclaimer: I don't own The One Piece Characters, but I do own Ruby and her sisters.

The East Blue Saga

Arc 1: Chapters 0-2: The Ruby Arc

Chapter 2 – Luffy's wanted Poster and Mirror Ball Island

Ruby eyed the food in front of her. It appeared to chicken and rice with a mixture of fruits and vegetables. She watched the rest of the crew out of the corner of her eye, waiting.

Luffy didn't appeared to be waiting for the 'okay'. He dug right in. Ruby was glad she didn't lose her appetite, just watching him shove food into his mouth.

Zoro ate at a pace just slower than the Straw Hat Captain. Nami closed her eyes and ate a normal speed. Usopp guarded his plate as he noticed Luffy start stretching across the table for more food. Sanji, sitting next to Ruby, sighed, after he grabbed a plate of food, _"What's wrong, Ruby-chan?"_

" _Nothing,"_ Ruby replied, too quick. She mentally cursed. She need to train her response time when it came to lying. She didn't want to accuse Sanji of possible poisoning the food. She waited long enough for any poison, she knew of, to become active and killed a person. So far, none of the crew knelt over. She grabbed her chopsticks and tried to pick up some food. She managed after three attempts and brought it up to her mouth.

Luffy, suddenly, started choking. Ruby froze. Her face hardened. Her blue colored orbs shot over to him. None of the others were panicking. Zoro reached over and slapped Luffy's back, hard. Whatever Luffy was choking on, went down. He went back to eating. Ruby felt Sanji's gaze on her as she took the first bite of food. She ignored him as she chewed the tender, spicy chicken, the blend rice, the buttered flavor of the vegetable, and the sweetness of the fruit. She shallowed. Her mouth cried for more. However, it was missing something for her tastes. She tested the rice. Yup, it was missing.

" _Could I have some salt?"_ she asked, remembering to be polite. Sanji got up and walked over to a cabinet by the stove. He opened it and reached into the bottom shelf. Ruby saw it held various spices in various containers- small appeared to be on the bottom shelf, medium sized containers were placed on the middle and the large containers – the ones you could find at a local Sam's club or another food warehouse – housed on the top shelf of the cabinet. Sanji grabbed whatever he was looking for and turned around, closing the cabinet with a snap. Ruby watched him as she chewed on another bit of chicken. She glanced down in time to see a hand reached for her chicken.

Ruby grabbed the wondering hand in a tight grip. She followed the arm up to Luffy's guilty face. She had an idea. She started to speak _, "Sanji, could you please translate for Luffy something?"_ Sanji nodded. Ruby leveled her eyes with Luffy's and continued her idea, _"The last time someone tried to steal food from me, he lost two fingers and I gain two extra sausages with bones for breakfast."_

Sanji repeated what she said. Luffy's face grew horrified. Usopp and Nami looked like they were about to pass out. Zoro paused, watching her. Ruby slowly brought the hand up to her mouth, licking her lips. Luffy struggled to get his hand away from Ruby. She parted her lips and opened wide with sharp teeth as she forced the hand nearer to her mouth. Luffy lend back in his chair, pulling on his hand. Ruby loosen her grip, slightly, allowed the hand to slip through hers and bit down into the thin air. She smirked at Luffy in amusement. Luffy fell back, landing on his upper back. Ruby grabbed another piece of chicken and vegetable before she popped them in her mouth.

Sanji walked over and handed her what she assumed was the salt shaker. he sat back down beside her. She held out her hand and shook some of the white grains into her palm before she licked it. The tang of the salt was familiar to her. She shook some salt over the unflavored rice and mixed it into the rice.

Zoro said something, staring at her. Sanji spoke up, _"Moss head wants to know if that story has anything truth to it."_

" _Not an ounce,"_ Ruby replied, meeting Zoro's eyes, _"However, it will teach someone not to steal from my plate or I will see if I like the taste of rubber enough to have it once in a while."_

Usopp did faint at that. Luffy pouted as he realized what happen. Zoro roared with laughter. Nami gave her a fearful look. Sanji shook in his head in amusement.

" _I don't poison the food I cook,"_ Sanji commented after dinner. Ruby helped clean up the makeshift dining table. It was just a few boxes with a slab of wood slapped together and a table cloth covered it all.

Ruby paused, replying, _"I was that transpired?"_ The blonde nodded. _"I need to work on my poker face. My mom would have been so ashamed."_

" _Yes, you do, my dear,"_ Sanji agreed as he put away any leftover. There were very few leftovers. Ruby carried over the dirty dishes. _"So, why did you become an assassin?"_

" _It wasn't much of a choice for me,"_ she replied, remembering the reason, _"Grew up with mom as an assassin and a super spy. What about you? Why did you get trained as one and cook as a day job?"_

" _My father didn't give me much of a choice,"_ Sanji commented, _"but I haven't seen him since I was 9. I fled home and hop aboard a cruise as a kitchen aid, eventually meet the man who taught me how to cook."_

Ruby nodded, understanding. If it was not for the fact, Natasha taught Ruby how to tell if somebody was a threat or not, Ruby would have missed the signs of Sanji's past training.

The following morning dawned and Ruby stepped out of the women's quarters with her laptop in hand. She headed to the kitchen, planning to use the software Tony installed to help her learn the Japanese language.

Sanji already was forearms deep in cooking. Zoro walked past Ruby as she sat down at the kitchen table and set the laptop on the table top. She noticed the green hair man paused. She felt his eyes over her form, eventually settling on her laptop. She opened the lid and waited to type in her password. She plugged in her earbud. She saw the log in screen and with lightning speed from practice, she typed in her password.

"Good morning, Ms. Ruby," she heard her personal A.I. say into her right ear, "I can't tell you at the moment the weather for today or traffic."

"Morning, Phoenix," she replied, "I would be highly surprised if you did."

"Who is that handsome man behind you?"

Ruby smiled in amusement, "His name is Zoro of the Straw Hat Pirates."

"Straw hat pirates?" Phoenix asked, question, as Ruby nodded, "As in from the anime show One –"

"The same, Phoenix," Ruby cut in. She blinked, realizing she was thirsty. She got up and unplugged the earbud. "You could create a reminder."

"Reminder for what?" Zoro stepped back in shocked. Sanji glanced over his shoulder, hearing another female in the kitchen.

"Challenge Tony to connect you to the mainframe **across** dimensions," she said, heading to the fridge. She opened the fridge and peered in.

" _What are you looking for, Ruby, dear,"_ Sanji asked, peering at her.

" _Cola, soda, pop, fruzzy drink, whatever you guys call it,"_ Ruby replied back.

" _I'm sorry, darling, we don't have any right now,"_ Sanji responded.

" _What about highly caffeinated tea?"_ Ruby asked. She was gonna have to survive without her life blood for a bit.

Sanji nodded, _"That I do have. Sugar?"_

"Poor Ruby," Phoenix chirped, "She doesn't have any soda."

"I will dismantle you for money to buy said soda," Ruby warned, glaring at her laptop. _"Honey, please and thank you,"_ she replied to Sanji.

" _Steep for two minutes,"_ Phoenix educated Sanji how to make the hot drink the exact way Ruby liked her teas.

" _Bossy A.I."_ Ruby muttered loud enough for Sanji to hear.

"I heard that," Phoenix commented dryly. Zoro said something. Sanji turned to Ruby when Phoenix replied in Japanese. Both men turned to the laptop, surprise written over their faces.

'I think I just lost my laptop for the day,' she thought as she listened to the Japanese flowing from the laptop. She noticed Nami, Usopp, and Luffy wondered into the kitchen after a few minutes. The entire crew asked questions to the A.I. and Phoenix replied.

Ruby left the kitchen and decided to grab the power cord, knowing Phoenix had only three-hour battery life. She reappeared with the power cord in hand. She stepped into the kitchen and paused as the crew looked at her.

"They want to know why I am named 'Phoenix'," the A.I. informed her. Ruby felt her body straighten. Her eyes went cold as glaciers. Her face hardened into a stone. Her shoulders went back, tensing. Her hands curled into fists. Her arms tighten up. A flash of bright blue with yellow tinted flames went through her mind. They were so much like Marco the Phoenix's flames. It felt natural naming her A.I after the mythical bird. After all Ruby went through a similar transformation, raising from the ashes of what burnt her.

"Tell them, I got the name in a dream I had when I was 14, nothing more," she ordered. She made eye-catch connect with Sanji, by mistake. She watched his eye widen before she moved to the counter. She spotted the plug and pushed the power supply into the wall. She went to her laptop and grabbed it. She set it on the counter by the wall and plugged it in. "Are you done giving an explanation on what the hell you are?"

"Yeah," Phoenix knew the subject they asked was a touchy one, "So, do you know their language?"

"Just it is Japanese," Ruby stated, "Can you teach me?"

"Hai," Phoenix replied, "I will go over the basics with you. You should know some of it since you watch that show all of the time."

"Not all the time," Ruby argued, "Just most of my free time."

Phoenix managed to teach Ruby the basics around meal time. The following day, Phoenix got Ruby to know more of the language and Ruby started to get to a hang of it.

The fourth day of being with the Straw hat crew, Ruby sat with her back to the mast, her eyes close. She took a break from studying. She planned to pick it up again after lunch. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy the sun. Ruby felt a presence loom above her. She popped open an eye, looking up at the swordsman.

~Zoro~

The swordsman spotted the red head woman sitting at the bottom of the mast with her eyes closed. She was different from the women he knew. He tightened his grip on her shinai and walked over, standing over her.

He smirked as he noticed it took her a second to realized he was there. She blinked up at him. He held out a hand for her. Her blue orbs roamed over him, finally settled on the bamboo weapon in his hand. She smirked in reply. She grabbed his forehead and planted her right foot under her. He pulled her up to her feet. He handed her weapon.

Ruby walked a few feet away from him and held out her weapon in front of her. Zoro grabbed his white sword with sheath. They made eye-connect, challengingly the other to move first.

Zoro moved toward her. She shifted into a defensive position as Zoro brought down his sword against her bamboo one. She stepped out of the way, letting the swords angle down to the deck. She spun, showing Zoro her back for a moment. He felt the tips of her soft hair brush against his cheek. He smelt strawberries in the air before the woman finished her spin, facing him again.

~Ruby~

She spun around and gave the green haired man a grin. She saw him take a huge breath, closing his eyes. She wondered what he was doing. She noticed the way his arms tensed. There was a glint in his eyes when he opened them. She recognized it. Zoro, the swordsman of the straw hat pirates, was turned on. She cocked an eyebrow at him. She wondered…she could wonder about that later.

Zoro came at her. She rose her bamboo sword to meet his. They met with a muffled bang. Zoro flexed his arms, his shoulders hunched forward, trying to overpower her. Ruby pushed on her bamboo sword, fighting him off. She felt her hands and the bamboo hilt forced against her chest. If they were wielding actually blades, her shirt would been cut and she would have been bleeding as she felt the white sheath push on her left shoulder.

~Zoro~

Zoro didn't know what the hell was wrong with him. He didn't feel this way toward Nami. He stared into Ruby's blue orbs before his eyes slid down to her lips. They were pushed into a thin line. His eyes continued south until they reached the medium sized mounds already heaving. He spotted two hard pearls through her blue tank top. His eyes flashed upwards and met hers. There was a flash of pain as she made a noise of pain. He blinked, resting his eyes on her collar bone and shoulder. He backed off a bit. He heard Ruby gave a sigh of relief and hoped he hadn't given her a bruise.

Her eyes flickered over his shoulder. He heard Love-cook shout something about those damn trees. Ruby's eyes widen and she sunk down, sitting on her ankle. Zoro cursed as he realized she was eye-level with his crotch, his eyes following her movements. An image flashed through his mind of Ruby gazing up through her eyelashes and her lips wrapped around his cock – pain erupted from the back of his shoulders.

~Ruby~

Ruby glanced over Zoro's shoulders. She saw Sanji kicked Luffy from the small tree grove, aiming at Zoro. She spread her legs, kneeling down to sit on her ankles. she noticed something as she became eye-level with Zoro's crotch and saw the tent. She glanced up. Zoro's eyes darken with desire before he soared over her head and through the wall a few feet behind her.

" _Ruby, dear, are you alright?"_ Sanji asked, _"That shitty swordsman didn't hurt you, did he?"_ the cook growled, _"I'll kill him if he did."_

" _Na, he didn't, Sanji, I'm alright,"_ Ruby smiled up at Sanji. His visible eye transformed into a heart. He did a noodle danced and started yelling something about Nami-swan and Ruby-chan.

Ruby rolled her eyes. She glanced behind her. Luffy stood up out of the part that used to be a wall. Zoro could heard muttering something unintelligent into the floor. She shrugged and walked to the women's quarters, putting her shinai away.

She came back up and headed to the kitchen when "NNNNNNNAAAAAANNNNIIIIII?" seemed to echo off the water's surface. She blinked as she peered on the back deck where she spotted Nami, Usopp, and Luffy staring at a piece of brown paper on the deck. Ruby walked over, bent over, and grabbed the paper. She turned it over and Luffy's wide grin stared up at her. He held two fingers up in a peace sign.

'Straw Hat Monkey D Luffy Wanted Dead or Alive $30,000,000'

Ruby looked up at Luffy and grinned, nodding her head. She handed the bounty poster back to Luffy before she walked off toward the kitchen. Sanji came out of the kitchen, nearly running into her.

" _Sorry_ , _"_ he said before he joined the rest of the crew on the back deck, probably discussing the wanted poster.

Later that afternoon, Ruby looked up, hearing an explosion. She glanced at Sanji, meeting his eyes.

" _Probably Usopp and Luffy firing the cannon again,"_ the cook explained, shrugging his shoulders, and turned back to the stove, cooking dinner.

" _Still, I'm gonna check, just in case,"_ Ruby replied. She had past missions where one of her teammates – Tony or Clint, sometimes another idiot - misfired something and everything went to hell in a hand basket, lightspeed. She stood up from the table and walked to the door. She opened it and stepped out. She sighed. She hated being right sometimes.

Ruby walked down to the main deck. She spotted Zoro with a sword out, holding it in front of him. Something exploded on the other side of the Going Merry, over the ocean. She glanced where Luffy and Usopp stood and on the other side of the railing, there was a shitty looking Marine ship.

The ship was no bigger than the Going Merry and it was in poor condition. Ruby wondered briefly how much longer would it stay afloat. Her blue eyes roamed over the Marine crew – they were out of shape. She noticed the Marines stared at her. They probable haven't seen a woman in god knows how long. Ruby let a coy smirk with a wink. Their eyes transformed into hearts. She swayed her hips a bit more as she walked to the mast and lent against the mast with her arms crossed under her breasts.

Ruby looked at the pink haired man who apparently was in charged. He blinked at her before he decided to ignore her. He would regret that, later. A couple men rushed to one of the Marine's cannons and prepared to fire. Ruby spotted a crack along the cannon barrel. She shook her head, wondering if this Marine crew were part of the budget cuts since their ship was worst state then she thought it was.

The cannon backfired in the Marines' faces. Ruby snorted in amusement, watching as the black smoke cleared. The entire Marine crew were covered in scoot and gunpowder residue. The pink haired man – Fullbody, right?- stared in shock before he growled an order. The Marine boat bumped against the Going Merry. The Marines jumped on the Going Merry.

Usopp back peddled away from the charging Marines. Luffy stood his ground and slipped into his signature stance. Zoro pulled out his swords, biting down on the white sword's hilt. Ruby pushed off from the mast and stepped away.

Ruby saw four of the Marine rushed her. She noticed the lusty glint in their beady eyes. She smirked. She snapped one of the Marines' in his gut, sending him stumbling back a few feet. She threw a hard right hook at the next man, sidestepping his attempt to slice her in half. The Marine crumbled to the ground without a sound as the third marine stepped up to face her. She ducked under his wild swing of his sword and jumped up, slamming her right knee into the underside of his jaw. He fell back, eyes rolling into the back of his head. The last marine paused and stared at her with horror. She took a step forward. The Marine gave a small scream before he ran away. Ruby cocked her head to the side, thinking 'Well, that was disappointing.'

Fullbody screamed, suddenly. Ruby's eyes snapped to him. Sanji stood at the top of the stairs, wearing a pink apron and holding a frying pan. The blonde glared at the pink haired man who yelled something. The conscious marines limped back to their ship as Fullbody jumped off the Going Merry railing, flew over his ship and over the far railing of his ship. Ruby blinked. She glanced down at the trio she knocked out.

" _Are they dead?"_ Sanji asked _._

" _Shouldn't be. Just knocked out. See if Zoro will help me move these guys and Luffy will keep the ships together long enough to get these three over on their ship, would ya?"_ Ruby replied. She reached down and grabbed one of them by their shirts before she dragged him over to the railing.

Luffy held onto the Marines ship railing. Ruby bent her legs and bodily picked up the marine before she threw him over onto the other ship. Two more bodies flew over her shoulder as Zoro stepped up next to her. Luffy let go of the Marine ship and used his legs to pushed it away from them. Ruby glanced at Zoro before she nodded her thanks. She walked away, swaying her hips, feeling eyes on her rear and disappeared back into the kitchen.

~Abroad the Moby Dick~

Marco read the newspaper in silence. He muttered to himself, "Another coup in a South Blue Village." He turned the page and came across a new wanted poster. "Straw Hat Luffy, 30 million," he studied the picture. The guy – Straw Hat Luffy – looked like an idiot.

"Hey, Marco," Ace, the second division commander, walked up, "Is there any new wanted posters out?"

"Just this one," Marco handed the wanted poster of 'Straw Hat Luffy' over, "He looks like an idiot." He glanced at Ace. Ace's face froze. "What is it, Ace?"

"That's not just any idiot," Ace grinned brightly at the first commander, "My younger brother!" He started to jump around, "He finally did it. He got a wanted poster! Not bad for his first bounty! Pops!" Ace ran toward the huge man sitting in the captain's chair. "Pops! This is my younger brother, Luffy!"

Emerald, the red head second division vice-commander, walked up and asked to Ace, "What got you excited, dear?"

"My younger brother, Luffy, finally has a bounty!" Ace explained.

"Hmm," Emerald looked at the bounty amount, "He's just starting out, right?" Ace nodded. "His first bounty is higher than your first bounty."

Ace paused, thinking back and shouted, "That little shit!"

~The Straw Hat Pirates~

Later that night, Ruby blinked at the huge gold speakers tiredly. She just spent most of day trying to get through the rest of the 'Beginnning Japanese'. She was pretty damn sure the sound coming from those speakers echoed all the way to the Grand Line. She heard someone speaking and caught the name of island 'Mirrorball' and something like "Tonight's our great….Dance Carnival!" If she understood Japanese right.

The Straw Hats walked forward, looking around. Ruby blinked as she took in the vivid colors. The anime was not this bright with its colors. She followed the crew as they walked down the street. She heard someone running and glanced forward.

Micheal Jackson dashed toward the crew. Ruby blinked, again. That didn't look right. Micheal Jackson died back in 2009, right? She turned, watching as the man with an Egyptian style beard. She knew the creator of One Piece based someone of the Characters off of famous people like Micheal Jackson and that character was Jango, right. He was a hypnotist if she remembered correctly.

Zoro asked "Huh? Wasn't that Jango?"

"Yeah," Usopp replied.

A squad of marines ran past the crew with their weapons drawn. Ruby waited until they passed before she snorted in amusement. She heard the crew except for Luffy walked away.

"Looks like the Marines are after him," the long nose stated, "Serves him right."

"Let's just get going before we get involved somehow, okay," Nami suggested.

"You're so right, Nami-san," Sanji immediately agreed.

Ruby muttered a "Goddamn it!" as she spotted a Marine stop and pulled out something and look back before re-directing his gaze down at the piece of brown paper.

Ruby grabbed Luffy's arm and dragged him behind her as she took off in a dead run.

"Run for it!" Ruby yelled, running pass the crew.

"Why did this have to happen?" Nami questioned.

"I can't imagine!" Sanji replied.

"It's because Luffy was standing there like an idiot!" Usopp added in.

"Less talking," Ruby called out, "More running!"

"Don't sweat it!" Luffy said, with a hand on top of his head, holding his hat in place.

Ruby led the crew through back streets, ran up staircases, bumped into crates and dodged people as the crew tried to lose the Marines. Half way through the chase, Ruby let go of Luffy.

Ruby skidded to a stop as she realized she made a wrong turn and led the crew to a drop off. She spun around and saw it was too late to go the way they came. However, Luffy ran straight them. The SHIELD agent paled, knowing what would happen and braced herself as Luffy forced the crew over the edge. Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and Zoro could be heard yelling. Ruby kept her mouth shut.

"Gum-Gum no Fussion!"

Son of a bitch!

Luffy's midsection swelled up and pushed the crew forward, straight at the mirror ball. They landed. Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp were back on their feet within a second. Ruby took a moment longer. Zoro's hand wrapped around her upper left arm, helping her to her feet, and tried to escape what was coming.

Ruby felt Luffy's body weight slam down onto her. She, now, knew what it felt like to be a smooshed bug. Luffy deflated as the mirrorball started to rock away from the crew. Ruby reached out and grabbed Luffy's red vest with her right hand, holding on tight onto it. She grabbed Zoro's upper arm and tighten her grip as the mirrorball flew away from the crew. They flew through the air.

Ruby heard Jango's voice through the speakers. She knew enough of Japanese, now, to understand what the idiot was saying.

"Time to let loose! Nothing can stop us now! When the music starts kickin', you're gonna dance til you drop!" Jango said, "One! Two! Jango!"

Ruby landed on top of Luffy. She rolled off of him, in time for Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp to land on top of him. Luffy looked daze. Ruby shook her head. The Music started with a thunderous first note. To Ruby's horror and amusement, the crew raised their arms as one. They took a step back, throwing their arms down, turned their heads back and forth before they rose their left hands. Ruby felt her hips sway circle as her arms rose, her fingers snapping to the beat. Nami looked enraged as did Zoro. Sanji looked irritated. Usopp appeared to be annoyed. Luffy took it in stride. Ruby grinned at the crew and stated in Japanese, "I have an idea to get back to the Going Merry."

"Oh," Zoro said.

"We will dance our way back," Ruby smirked as Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Nami glared at her, "Just do as I do," she stated, "That should be easy enough for the four of you." Nami glared even harder, getting the hinted insult.

" _I cannot deliver my words,_

 _cannot make you understand_

 _My heart outruns my body_

 _I want to see you now_

 _I can't wait any longer_

 _The midnight freezes my sighs."_

Ruby spun several times, heading down the street. Nami followed Ruby's example. The men followed the two woman.

" _Ready to, Steady go, my feelings_

 _Run at full speed_

 _This heart that beats strongly, quickly_

 _Ah! My sadness won't stop."_

Zoro switched places with Nami, suddenly, and Ruby blinked at him, surprised. He wrapped his arm around her waist.

" _Lovin' you, lovin' me, I accelerate myself_

 _And lose control_

 _The shooting stars want to share_

 _This new love."_

Ruby placed her right hand on top of Zoro's shoulder and grasped his other hand as the green haired man led her through a fast ballroom dance, emerging them out on to a crowded street and the duo cut a path for the rest of the Straw Hats to follow.

" _We begin now not as family, not as friends_

 _I feel you so close_

 _I always wanna see you_

 _I wanna hold you tight again."_

Damn! If Ruby didn't know any better, she would have thought someone wrote this song for her and Zoro. She always dreamed of meeting Zoro.

" _at a bench under the sky full of stars_

 _The air makes me shake_

 _Ready to, steady go, my overwhelming_

 _Feelings become one_

 _Fall and go down at this moment_

 _Ah! Come true my wishes_

 _Lovin' you, lovin' me, this light_

 _Hidden in my heart is true_

 _The star of eternity will always, always_

 _Show this brightness."_

Ruby broke eye connect with Zoro. She couldn't afford to like this man, now when she was going to leave within the next few days. She glanced over at Sanji and Nami who appeared to be dancing a ballroom style dance too. Luffy disappeared. Usopp danced by himself.

" _I cannot deliver my words,_

 _cannot make you understand_

 _My heart outruns my body_

 _I want to see you now_

 _I can't wait anymore_

 _I cannot stop myself a bit."_

Ruby felt Zoro grab her chin, forcing her to look at him in the face. Their eyes met. She felt his body tensed with some energy.

" _Ready to, Steady go, my feelings_

 _Run at full speed_

 _This heart that beats strongly, quickly_

 _Ah! My sadness won't stop_

 _Lovin' you, lovin' me, I accelerate myself_

 _And lose control_

 _The shooting stars wanna share_

 _This new love_."

What would her mother say? The infamous Black Widow never had a man to bring home to meet Ruby before so the red head had no clue. The only advice she gave Ruby when she had asked about love, 'Love is for children'. If Ruby knew anything about Natasha, Natasha would play for a while and figured out a way home.

The crew reached the gangplank of the Going Merry. Zoro and Ruby quickly danced up it, followed by Sanji and Nami with Usopp bringing up the rear. Zoro parted from her as he and Sanji prepare the ship to leave the docks.

Ruby laughed as she reached into her jacket and pulled out her IPod as the swordsman, the navigator, the sharpshooter, and the cook fell to the deck. She scrolled through her music collection and quickly choose 'She-Wolf' by Shakira. She blasted the volume and danced around the deck with a playful smirk on her lips. It would another hour before she fell to the deck.

~The Avengers Tower~

Natasha Romanoff paced back and forth. Her green eyes glinted with worry. It had been five days since anyone seen her adoptive daughter, Ruby. The young woman disappeared on the way to her classes. She heard the elevator doors opened. Her gaze snapped to the doors as they part. The rest of the Avengers minus Thor stood there.

"I'm sorry," Clint said, "None of my contacts have heard anything about Ruby."

"Jarvis hasn't been able to find her on the planet," Tony stated, "I've been watching the footage." He paused, "Didn't Ruby arrive the same mysterious way 13 years ago?"

"Yes," Natasha replied.

"So, in other words, we may never see her again," Tony stated.

"Stark," Steve snapped. Natasha sat down on a nearby couch. She remembered Ruby's birthday present. Ruby wanted to go to the amusement park off of Cota Risa, Jurassic World. The young woman had been wanting to go there since it opened. Now, Natasha might not never be able to take her daughter there.

~Ruby's Story~

Please Review! I will see you all Wednesday


	4. August 26th and Welcome to Loguetown

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Chapter 3 – August 26th and welcome to Loguetown

Ruby grabbed the tablecloth as Luffy and Zoro moved the wooden slab. Usopp waited until the captain and the first mate moved through the doorway and grabbed one of the boxes that held the wooden slab in the air. Nami grabbed another box. The coward duo disappeared through the door. Ruby folded the tablecloth. Sanji stood at one end of a bench they used to sit on when they ate and Ruby set the tablecloth on top of the bench before the assassin duo picked it up. Sanji walked backwards out of the kitchen, tilting the bench as he walked around the corner. Ruby followed him to the back deck.

Nami grabbed the tablecloth from the bench. She threw it over the wooden slab. Ruby and Sanji set the bench down beside the table. Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp headed back to the kitchen. Ruby and Sanji followed them. Luffy and Zoro finished bringing out the other bench as Usopp, Ruby, and Sanji carried out the food and clean dishes.

Ruby grinned as she set the silverware down on the table. She felt the sea breeze play with her ponytail. She grinned slightly. She grabbed a plate and filled it with food. She set her plate down on the table. Before she could sit down, Zoro grabbed her arm and pulled her next to him. She raised an eyebrow at him, question. He blinked at her before he reached for his own plate and filled it up. Ruby rolled her eyes. She would eventually figure if the swordsman actually like her in a friend kind of way, wanted to be friends with benefits, or wanted to be in a serious relationship. She reached out, grabbed her plate, and started to eat.

"We're finally nearing the Grand line," Nami started after lunch and putting the kitchen items back in the kitchen. They switched locations. Nami knelt on the deck, looking at a map. Luffy sat with his back toward his favorite seat. Sanji stood, looking down at the map. Usopp lend back against the railing between Luffy and Sanji with his arms crossed over his chest. Zoro stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankles, resting his back against the railing. Ruby sat, cross legged on the railing. Nami continued, pointing at the map, "It looks like the only way into it is through Reverse Mountain here."

"What a pain," Zoro spoke up, "Can't we just sail straight into it?"

"Nope," Sanji replied, "From what the geezer told me, that's the only way boats can enter."

"Correction, the only way non-navy ships can enter," Ruby said, "The Navy has a special coating at the bottom of their ships to avoid the Sea Kings."

"Sea Kings?" Usopp asked.

Ruby nodded, "The Calm belt is a known Sea King nesting area. Hundreds of Sea Kings roam through that area daily and they are not anything to shake a stick at. One of them could easily shallow us whole."

Usopp paled and his knees started to shake.

"Alright, I got it, Then Let's head straight into it," Luffy cheered.

"Are you even paying attention," Nami shouted at Luffy.

"But it sounds fun," Luffy argued, "Plus it'd feel way better going straight into it."

"If you have a death wish," Ruby pointed out.

"Talking to you make me feel like I'm gonna go crazy," Nami moaned, clutching her head in her left hand.

"Short trip from what it sounds like," Ruby muttered. Nami glared at her. Ruby blinked, innocently in responses.

"Anyways, let's stop at an island first and get meat," Luffy said, "Meat! Meat!"

Nami pointed her finger at an island on the map, explained, "There's a famous city on this island...Loguetown."

"Loguetown?" Luffy asked, "What? Is it famous for its meat?"

"Nope," Ruby replied, "It's famous for Roger."

"Roger?" Luffy cocked his head. Ruby sighed.

"Loguetown is also known as the City of the beginning and the end," Zoro spoke up, "I'm pretty sure I've heard that before."

"It's the town where Gold Roger, the old King of the Pirates," Nami started, looking down at the map, "was born and executed."

The crew didn't say anything for a long moment. Luffy broke the silence, "The town where the King of the Pirates died."

Nami looked at Luffy with a smile, "Wanna go?"

Ruby thought, 'dumb question.'

"Yeah," Luffy said with a thoughtful glint in his eye, "I wanna see it. I wanna see the town where the man who got the One Piece – everything this world has to offer – was born and then died!"

The red head looked ahead, at the horizon. She knew Luffy's – who be his oldest – enemies would converge on the same island.

"How long before we reach Loguetown?" Ruby asked.

"It will be another three days before we reach there," Nami replied.

Ruby nodded, her thoughts turning to what tomorrow was. Her 20th birthday. She wondered what her adoptive mother got her. Ruby had been dropping hints for tickets to go to the amusement park off of Cosa Rica – Jurassic World – for months now. She glanced off into the blue sky. Tonight, she planned to take watch. Maybe she could reach Thor and get a way home when the Straw Hats docked at the next island. She sighed.

Ruby climbed up to the crow's nest and waited for midnight to roll around. She fought sleep as she saw the moon reached overhead. She stood on the edge of the nest before she yelled to the sky, "Hey, Asguard watcher guy, could you send Thor to the island with a town called Loguetown on it? I really don't know how I got here, but I really want to go home!" she paused, "Please?"

Ruby watched the sky for any sign of the watcher guy heard her. She knew there was not going to any sign, but she clung to hope. She stepped down and whispered, "Happy Birthday, Ruby. It is your 20th birthday and you are nowhere near home."

She turned and blinked at the shadowy figure standing on deck, looking up at her. She tensed. The clouds moved overhead and the moon light revealed it was Luffy, watching her. She relaxed her tensioned muscles.

Ruby climbed down from the crow's nest. She looked at Luffy and asked, "What's up, Luffy?"

"Join my crew, Ruby," Luffy stated.

"I'm just traveling with you guys," she replied.

"I want you to join my crew, Ruby," Luffy repeat.

Ruby sighed. She knew how Luffy was. The Straw Hat Captain was a stubborn and selfish. She knew she was not going out of this.

"Let me think about it," She answered.

"What is there to think about?" Luffy asked, "Don't you want adventure?"

"I have obligations, Lu, at home," she explained a little, "Anyway, I'm off to bed." She walked by him and headed to the women's quarters for bed.

Ruby woke up, feeling off. She sighed as she saw the wooden ceiling. There was nobody to wish her happy birthday, today. She curled up, sitting with her hands behind her. Today would be another day, weather she liked or not and that meant. She stood up and put away her bedding before she slipped on her pair of shorts, a spare sports bra, and her combat boots. She headed above deck. She went to the rope ladder and climbed up to the crow's nest. She didn't go into the crow's nest, but she placed her hands on the piece of wood holding the sail up and swung until she was in the middle and started training, performing chin-ups to 200. She swung her body around, hooking her legs over the wooden beam and preformed sit ups till she reached 200. She relaxed her legs, allowing her body to fall toward the deck. She flipped halfway, landing on her feet.

"I take it," Zoro's voice rang out, "You do that everyday."

"Yeah," Ruby nodded, "Sometime I change it up to include running, boxing, and other mixed martial arts." She panted.

"Here you go, Ruby-chan," Sanji cooed, bringing over a small barrel of water. She smiled her thanks and took it before she drained it. It was refreshing to her heated body, cooling her insides.

"Thanks, Sanji," Ruby said. She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. She headed to the bathroom at the back of the storage room to get cleaned up.

~Loguetown~

Marine Captain Smoker glanced around the house he shared with his girlfriend, Crystal Le Roux. He sighed at the sad attempt of a breakfast. He wanted to surprise her since it was her 20th birthday. He grabbed a tray and loaded up a plate with somewhat burnt pancakes, fluffy eggs, and glass of orange juice. He walked calmly to their bedroom and pushed the door open. He stared at the sleeping red head figure on his bed. He walked to her side of the bed and set the tray down on the nightstand. He sat on the edge of the bed and placed a kiss on Crystal's lips. She growled, softly. He smirked as he spoke, "Beautiful, it is time to wake up." Crystal scouted down further the under the covers, "My gem," Smoker ran his fingers under the covers, brushing the bare side of her body. She jerked away before she poked her head out of under the covers. She glared her blue orbs at him.

"What the hell do you want, Smoker," Crystal growled, "I don't have to go to work, today, so why the hell are you trying to wake me up on my day off?"

"Happy Birthday, love," Smoker let a gently smile cross his lips. His eyes took in her wild hair from their activities last night.

"It is my birthday?" Crystal commented with surprise.

"Yup," Smoker replied, "Do you want breakfast first or your desert?"

Crystal licked her lips, her eyes glinted with lust. It was not a hard choice. She replied, "Desert." She reached up and grabbed his white jacket with both hands and pulled him down on top of her.

~The Moby Dick~

There was a high pitch scream that seem to echo off the ocean and the skies. Emerald jerked awake and looked at her boyfriend, Ace. He looked around, confused. They listened to the commotion on deck.

"-someone get the damn nurses!"

"Oh my god!"

"What happen to him?"

"Who would have done that to Thatch?"

"Someone get Pops!"

"Already did, he wants the vice and commanders in his room, asap."

Ace swung his legs over the side of the bed, already reaching for his boxers and shorts. Emerald paused, staring at his bare ass before she moved quickly to get dressed. She slipped her bra straps over her shoulders when there was a harsh pounding on their door.

"Commander Ace, Vice-Commander Emerald!"

"We know," Ace shouted, "We will be there." He turned to Emerald and hooked her bra for her before she pulled a green tank top over her head and jerked her legs into a pair blue jean, shortie shorts. She pushed her feet into a wedged sandals and did the straps up on her heels. She glanced over at Ace who handed her, her seastone knife. She slipped on her side. The couple walked from their room and headed to Pops' room. They joined Marco and his vice commander Yusuke on the way to Pops' room.

"What the hell is going on?" Ace asked.

"I heard something about Thatch," Emerald commented, her blue eyes watching the first mate.

"Pops will tell you," Marco said, looking stress more than usual. Emerald shared a glance with Ace before the quartet disappeared into Pops' quarters.

~The Heart Pirates~

Sapphire Le Roux walked along the hallway, heading to her favorite doctor's quarters. She knocked on his door and waited with his breakfast in hand.

"Come in," the captain of the Heart Pirates called out.

Sapphire opened the door and chirped out, "Morning, Law-sama."

"Why are you so chipper this morning, Miss Sapphire," Law glanced up from his medical book. She shut the door behind her after she stepped into the office. "And I thought I told you not to use 'sama'."

"No reason and yes, you did," Sapphire replied, "Have you been up all night?" she set the tray down in front of him on his desk.

"Maybe," Law answered. She grabbed the book he was reading and gently tugged it out his gasp. She took the bookmark she had made for him a couple years ago, in honor of their first anniversary, and marked his place.

Law took a look down at the tray and noticed there was a folded up piece of paper. He opened it and quickly read it. That explains why Sapphire was so chipper. It was her 20th birthday. That was today? He glanced at the desk calendar and blinked at the date, August 26th.

"Happy Birthday, dear," Law commented as Sapphire placed the medical book on a bookshelf.

"Thank you, Law-sama," she purred. Law had another knee-jerk reaction to the way she used that title. He took a shaky breath and dug into his breakfast, knowing his head nurse won't leave until he ate everything on his tray, on the orders of his cook. She walked behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders, messaging the knots she found out.

"How far are we from the next island," Law asked, trying to keep his mind busy on his captain business and not on the way Sapphire's hands felt on his shoulders, knowing the way they felt, clawing into his back when he found her sweet spot.

"Still a day out," Sapphire replied, "Oh my, you are so tense, Law-sama," she had lent down and whispered that into his ear. Law's blood ran south.

"Keep that up, Miss Sapphire," Law warned, his voice warmed, his eyes glinted with lust, "You may not like what will happen."

"But Law-sama," she whined a bit, "As your head nurse," she laid her arms on either side of his neck, "I am responsible for your _health_." Her hands stretch out, over his stomach, "If you are tensed, I feel it is my job to help relax you." She placed a kiss behind his ear.

Law muffled a groan, knowing his lover won this round, and ordered, "Lock the door."

Sapphire let out a giggle as she went to the door and locked it. She turned to back to Law to find him, stalking toward her. Her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes reflected his lust. He grabbed her hips, pulling her to him.

"I am going make you work for your release," Law whispered into her ear. He walked backwards, forcing the red head woman to follow him. "Strip for me, Sapphire." He purred, the way he said that made it sound like a sin.

Sapphire moaned, softly, in response.

~The Kidd Pirates~

 _Diamond must admit to herself, this was not the way she wanted to wake up on her birthday day. She jerked at the chains around her wrists and ankles. She wondered what the happen while she was asleep and more importantly, where the hell was Kidd? Her blue eyes roam over the room, noticing it was the captain's quarters abroad the Kidd Pirates' ship. At least she was not kidnapped, again. There was another problem she faced. She was naked as the day she was born and laid on the bed, spread eagle. If Kidd or another crewmember walked in, they would an eyeful of her goods and she would never be able to look at them in the eye again. She sighed._

" _A little birdie," Kidd's voice drifted through the air, "Told me that today was your birthday."_

 _Diamond blushed bright as her hair color and replied in a tone she hoped was steady, "Y-yes, today is my 20_ _th_ _birthday." Shit, she thought and continued, "But that doesn't explain why I'm like this."_

" _Why not?" Kidd stepped out of the shadows by the door. His firy eyes roamed over her nude form, "I rather enjoy the show." He paused, "Don't you agree, Killer?"_

 _Diamond let a squeak of surprise as she saw the first mate stepped out of the captain's personal bathroom._

" _Yes, I do, Kidd," Killer voiced his agreement._

" _Could you undo the damn chains," Diamond asked, "Please?"_

" _Nope," Kidd replied, "We have plans with you like that." He walked to the bed._

" _We?" she managed to say before Kidd caught her lips in a searing kiss._

Diamond Le Roux jerked out of her bed and landed on the floor. She blinked at the wall. Damn. It was just a dream – a really lusty wet dream. She groaned as her body hummed with lust. "Goddamn it," she said, softly, "I really wish I didn't lust after my captain and first mate." She climbed back on her bed and listened. It sounded like no one else was up. Good. She would be able to take her personal problem without any interruptions. She ran a hand over her curves. She let out a soft moan escape her lips, closing her eyes, imaging Kidd's hand was pleasing her instead her own while Killer kissed on her neck and message her breasts.

Standing outside of her door, Killer looked at the door with raised eyebrows, listening to the only woman on the ship pleasure herself and whisper not only the captain's name, but his as well. He crept away, intending to find Kidd. He smirked at the thoughts running through his head. Diamond might get a unique birthday present later if Kidd gave the okay. After all, the captain gets his choice of women first.

~The Straw Hats~

Ruby felt better after her shower. She went to the kitchen to grab her laptop, but Luffy stood in front of her, blocking her way to the kitchen. He leveled his gaze with hers.

"Join my crew!"

This again, Ruby thought. She knew the Straw hat captain was highly stubborn.

"I have to think about, Luffy," she protested, "I have stuff I still have to do at home." She refused to admit she damn near whined during that sentence.

"So?" Luffy said. "Can't it wait?"

"No," Ruby replied. She spun around on her heel and walked away from the kitchen, heading back to the women's quarters. Maybe she could get some peace and quiet there. Her laptop was in the damn kitchen. She muttered a curse.

Ruby hid in the women's quarters for the rest of the day until Nami poked her head into the room.

"Hey, Ruby," she started, "Could you come to the kitchen?"

"Sure," the named young woman replied and walked up the stairs after Nami. Once she got to the kitchen, her jaw dropped in surprise. There was a three tier cake sitting in the middle of the kitchen table with the word written in icing, 'Happy Birthday' and a red icing shaped ruby sat beneath those words.

"Happy Birthday," Luffy, Usopp, Nami, Zoro, and Sanji chorused.

"How – how did you know?" Ruby managed to say. She leant against the door frame. Her blue eyes wide with shock.

"I remembered Shanks always talking about his girls, saying even though they were sextuples sisters and shared the same birthday, they were very different from each other. He told me that his eldest 'baby girl' disappeared after eating a devil fruit," Luffy explained, staring at her straight in her eyes, "I asked one time when his girls' birthday – August 26th and why he was still searching for her. He told me he knew she was alive somewhere, he just had to a way to find her. Even after he left for the Grand Line, I never forgot his daughters' birthday."

Ruby wanted to open her mouth and deny she was not Shanks' daughter, but for the first time in since she started training to be an assassin and spy, words failed her. She felt exposed. She knew she didn't let her guard down, but Luffy slipped through and stole a piece of her. He was making it hard and harder to leave the crew behind.

Ruby knew she had issues with trust ever since she was kidnapped. She had issues about her birth parents since she woke up from her coma. She always wondered who her birth parents were, what they were doing, if they even missed her or if they went back their day without caring about her. Natasha and Ruby were a lot similar when it came to certain issues and Ruby learned to always have her guard up so she wouldn't be taken by surprise when it came to those issues. The last time she let someone close to her, she woke up and realized it was just a blissful dream about a blonde haired man who could transform into a blue phoenix, protecting her from her demons and the door opened to reveal her rapist. Ruby watched Luffy.

He walked over with a hand over his hat. He slipped it off his head and placed it over her red hair. He stepped back.

"So, thank you for living," Luffy grinned. Ruby visibly jerked. Her eyes watered. She forced back the tears. Her hands reached up to the hat and curled around the brim above her ears. She pulled it further down on her head. She had a sudden flash in her mind's eye of Luffy, crying at 8, doing the same when he sat on the cliff side with Ace, at 11, standing beside him, promising not to die. A tear slipped down her cheek.

"Baka," Nami called out, "You are supposed to say Happy Birthday! Not thank you for living."

"Dumbass, you made Ruby," Sanji roared, ready to run around the table and beat Luffy up.

Zoro didn't say anything. He watched the interaction between Luffy and Ruby. He noticed there was an accepting glint in the woman's eyes.

The birthday girl fell to her knees in front of Luffy and wrapped her arms around Luffy's waist, burring her face in his stomach before she turned her face, resting her left cheek against the captain's midsection.

"Your welcome, Lu," Ruby finally said, her voice thick with emotion.

"Can we eat the cake, now," Luffy asked. She giggled.

"Let Ruby blow out the candles then we can get the cake," Zoro said.

"Come on Ruby," Luffy pushed Ruby up to her feet, "I want to eat the cake, already," he whined.

Ruby giggled harder and nodded, "Alright, Lu." She walked over to the table. She closed her eyes and made her wish, _'I wish I could find friends like the Straw Hats and they will never leave me alone again'_ before she blew out the candles on the cake. She grinned as Luffy cheered that they could have the cake now.

~the Red Haired Pirates~

Shanks glanced down into the bottle, mentally cursing he ran out again. He looked around his room. There were dozens of empty sake bottles laying on the floor of his captain quarters. He already got in contact with his daughters, except one. Ruby was his baby girl, even though she was the oldest of the six his wife popped out. She followed him everywhere, grinning widely. He remembered the comment he made to his wife one night while getting for bed – Ruby is gonna be an infamous Pirate one day, maybe even follow in his footsteps and join the pirate crew that would be known as the Second King of the Pirates crew.

He sighed. He had to find more sake. He wanted to drink until he reached the blacken state, where he didn't have to remember what the day was nor he cared.

~The Moby Dick~

Marco rubbed his face with his hands. Thatch had been murdered. Nearly everyone had been accounted for expect for Marshall D. Teach. Right now, that was the only suspect they had. The night guards last night had even pointed the finger at Teach who left sometime in the early morning hours.

"Shit," he muttered. He glanced at the calendar. It was Emerald's birthday. Emerald didn't say anything about it. She probably didn't even think about the date.

It was also _her_ birthday. He reminded the teen girl fell onto the sails almost 6 years ago. The Phoenix had been intrigued by her. There was also a man with a mental left arm. By the time she and the mental armed man left the ship, the phoenix already made its decision and now, lay in wait for her return.

"Happy Birthday, Ruby," Marco whispered.

~The Straw Hats Pirates~

The following morning came too early for Ruby's liking. She yawned as she climbed up to the deck.

"Raise the anchor!" Luffy called out from the cannon room. Zoro was waiting for the anchor raise up from the ocean water and threw rope down, managed to hook the anchor and pulled it up.

"Set the sails," Luffy called up to Sanji and Usopp who lent over the wooden beam and untied the sail. It immediately bellowed out, catching the early morning wind.

"Bring the ship forward!" Luffy shouted. Ruby stood at the sheep head helm and eased the ship out to sea. "Full speed ahead to the Grand Line!"

The red head shook her head in amusement. Nami stood by the railing, looking down at a map.

"Sanji!" Luffy yelled, "Breakfast!"

"Yeah, yeah," the cook replied, "I'll get started on it. Hold on." He walked to the kitchen. He said to Nami, "Good morning, Nami-san." He turned to Ruby who walked out of the kitchen. "Ruby-chan."

"Good morning, Sanji-kun," the two women echoed. Ruby placed her hip against the railing, standing with her arms crossed. She glanced at Nami who was watching Luffy bug Zoro about playing tag. Usopp ran over and joined Luffy bugging Zoro. Ruby rolled her eyes at their antics.

"I'm gonna get some more sleep before breakfast," Zoro said, yawning.

"Oh," Usopp grinned and poked the sleeping dragon, "'Cause you don't like losing, huh?"

"What did you say?" Zoro asked, "I don't give a damn about that."

"See!" Usopp pointed at Zoro, "You're suddenly mad!"

"What?" Zoro snapped. Both Luffy and Usopp parted and ran from Zoro. "Hold it, you guys." The swordsman started.

Usopp ran around the mast as Zoro chased after him and added, "But it's the truth, isn't it!?" he blew a raspberry at Zoro.

Ruby sighed as Zoro turned to Usopp and gave chase after the long nosed sharpshooter.

"I'm over here! Come get me!" Usopp taunted.

"C'mon, Zoro," Luffy cut in, "Chase me, too!"

"Boys," Ruby said, "Can't live with them, can't live without them."

"Yeah," Nami replied, wistfully.

"I'm not playing here," Zoro shouted at the younger duo.

"Nami-san, Ruby-chan, your meal's ready," Sanji stepped out from the kitchen.

Ruby turned to Sanji, and said, "Thank you, Sanji-kun."

"Hey, guys! Food's on!" Sanji called out to the other men. Luffy and Usopp cheered.

"Hold it!" Zoro yelled, "I'm not done with you!"

"Even after he said all that," Nami whispered. Both Ruby and Sanji looked at her.

"What was that?" Sanji asked, confused.

"No, it's nothing," Nami gave the cook a smile, "Whew, I'm hungry!"

"Food," Luffy ran by Ruby, chanting. "This looks yummie!"

Ruby walked in and sat down, looking at the table. They apparently were having some sort of soup with bread and meat.

"Say, what do you suppose happened to Buggy after that?" Nami asked.

"Buggy?" Luffy asked around a mouthful of meat, "Oh, that Buggy? Who knows? Maybe he's at the bottom of the ocean."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Zoro said, stepping into the kitchen, "Pirates are a stubborn lot, every last one of 'em." He dragged Usopp by his long nose behind him.

Ruby snorted in amusement, watching Luffy steal food from a plate.

"You're the one who kept me stubbornly!" Usopp whined, "Ow!"

Zoro sat down beside Ruby. The swordsman ignored Usopp and said, "I hunted pirates for years. I can tell." He raised his mug and took a long drink.

"Not that it matters, but your food's gone, Usopp," Sanji commented and handed Nami and Ruby a desert, "A special yogurt dessert."

"You stole my food again," Usopp stared at his plate dismay.

"Oh," Nami said, "Thank you, Sanji-kun."

"Thanks, blonde," Ruby said after bite of the dessert.

"Give it back, you idiot," Usopp cried out.

"Hey," Ruby said, "I bet y'all a thousand beli if we run into Buggy when we get to Loguetown."

"He won't be at Loguetown," Nami argued, "But if you really want to lose that beli, you are on."

Ruby smirked.

After breakfast, Ruby grabbed her laptop and had Phoenix tutor her more in the Japanese language. She took a break in the early afternoon to help clean the deck when she heard someone yell, "Dammit! Why does this happen to me?"

Ruby looked up and grinned widely in amusement as she saw a stream of white smoke across the sky. Buggy the clown just flew overhead and had no idea that the Straw Hats were below him. She giggled and went back to cleaning the front deck.

"Hey, Luffy," Sanji said, "Quit slackin' off!"

"Oh, Sorry," Luffy replied, "Sorry."

That night, Ruby sighed as she shut down Phoenix. She heard Luffy say, "Sanji..Food."

"You just ate…" Sanji replied, "Gimme a break."

"Shut up, you guys," Zoro added in, "I can't sleep."

"You sleep too much," Usopp had to put in his two cents worth, "Help out with work sometimes, Sheesh."

Ruby glanced over at Nami. She stared at the small door separating the two sleeping quarters.

"I'm amazed they can hold conversation in their sleep," Nami said.

"Me too," Ruby agreed.

"Talk about skillful," Nami added.

Ruby snorted before she said, "I'm going to bed."

"Me too," Nami said. The orangette blew out the lantern as Ruby shifted her bedding on the floor before she curled up under the covers, closing her eyes.

"Wow!" Luffy called out, "What a huge town!"

The Straw Hat crew landed on the island where Loguetown was located at. Ruby grinned, looking around.

"This placed used to be full of pirates on their way to the Grand Line," Nami said.

"And who says it still isn't," Ruby suggested.

"A pair Marine Captains named Smoker and Crystal keep the law here," Zoro explained.

"Crystal, huh?" Luffy said, glancing over his shoulder at Ruby. She gave him a glare.

"Anyway, it has everything you could ever need," Nami acted like she was not interrupted.

"Alright," Usopp stared at the town, "I'm gonna get equipment for our upcoming great adventure!"

"Looks like I can get some good ingredients here," Sanji looked around at the various venders, "Good women, too!"

"I got something I wanna buy, too," Zoro looked thoughtful.

Nami glanced up at Zoro before she gave him a blood thirsty grin, "Oh, how are you gonna do that?" Zoro looked down at Nami, "You're flat broke, as I recall!"

"Zoro," Ruby stage-whispered, "It's a trap!"

"Alright. I'm gonna check out the execution platform," Luffy said.

"Huh?" Usopp and Sanji said, looking at Luffy.

"I'm gonna see where the King of the Pirates was executed," Luffy explained, running off.

"Hey, wait!" Usopp called after him, "We still haven't decided where to meet up at."

"I think it would be best if we all meet up," Ruby started, "At the execution platform in the evening, just before nightfall." She shot them a grin and grabbed Zoro's arm. She dragged him after her, heading down the street.

"Ruby, wait," Nami called out, "How are you going pay for anything?"

"I have my ways, Nami, don't you worry," Ruby called out then whispered, "I might get us chased out of town by nightfall, though." She giggled.

"Ruby," Zoro hissed. He looked a little more than irritated at her.

"What?" Ruby hissed, her fingers slipping through pockets, gathering wallets before she grabbed the money. "They won't miss it until later." She dropped the wallets in the middle of a crowd as she walked by. It wasn't long before Ruby's pockets were bulging with money.

"Damn, these are expensive," Zoro muttered to Ruby as they looked the swords in the case, "too expensive."

Ruby made a noise of agreement and suggested, "I might have to wait until we reach the Grand Line before I am able to one," she sighed, "but of course, they might be still out of my price range."

"Monster! How rude," a woman called out.

Ruby lend back, looking at the gathering crowd. Zoro looked over as well. She walked over with Zoro trailing after her.

"Aww, shut up," A man ordered, "Our boss is behind bars all thanks to him!"

"Have you still not learned your lesson," Ruby pushed her way through the crowd and spotted the blue haired woman – Tashigi – questioned the two armed men in front of her.

"Nope," one of the men answered, "We ain't happy with things as they are!"

"We're gonna bring your corpse to him to see," the other man added.

Ruby felt Zoro tensed behind her. She turned, keeping her eyes on the future fight and wrapped an arm around Zoro's waist, holding the man to her.

"Just watch, Zoro," she whispered.

"Very well," Tashigi replied, "I will fight you."

" _You_ will, girlie," one of them laughed.

"Don't make us laugh," the other commented.

Zoro's expression harden. Ruby lend her head against his shoulder, making hard for him to reach for his white sword. She felt his chest to start vibrate with a low growl.

"What can a girl possibly do," one of them asked, stupidly.

"Die!"

"Yeah!" the duo jumped.

"Dammit, Ruby," Zoro grunted as he realized the red head woman had position herself, "She's gonna get killed if I don't do something."

"Hold your horses, cowboy," Ruby said, "She's got this."

"If she don't," he growled at her.

"I will step in and teach those two a lesson," she promised with a demonic grin.

A sword sung as it escaped its prison. Two screams echoed through the air. A sheath bounced against the ground.

Ruby glanced over at Tashigi and saw the blue haired woman stood with her knees bent and her sword over her head. The two pirates landed on the ground.

Ruby shot a quick look at Zoro. He looked shocked.

"I told you she got it," Ruby said, smugly.

"She did it!" A person called out in surprise.

"You're strong, lady," another added.

"You're amazing," a third said.

Ruby took a look at the ground in front of her. She spotted Tashigi's glasses and stepped away from Zoro. She bent down and picked the swordswoman's glasses up. Tashigi walked to her sheath, but she fell onto her face. Ruby winced. She walked over to the blue haired woman and helped her to her feet.

"Hey," Ruby called out, "I think these are your glasses."

"Thank you," Tashigi said, "I can't see a thing without them."

"Your welcome." Ruby said. She turned to face Zoro and pulled him by his arm. "Well," she started, "Aren't you glad I stopped you?"

"Maybe," Zoro admitted, "Now, do you know where is another sword store in town?"

"Nope," Ruby gave Zoro a grin before she stepped to a random person and asked, "Is there another sword store in town?"

"Excuse me," Zoro and Ruby turned, looking at the person who spoke. It was Tashigi, "I can't help, but over hear that you are looking for another sword store – Crystal!" Tashigi blinked at Ruby, "Why do you want a sword, Crystal?"

Ruby pointed at herself and said in a questioning tone, "Did you just call me Crystal?" Tashigi nodded. "But I'm Ruby, not this Crystal bitch you mistaken me for."

"Oh," Tashigi paused, "What did you call Miss Crystal?"

"A bitch," Ruby shot back and turned away. She sped walk toward an alley, leaving Zoro behind.

"Hey get back here," Tashigi ordered.

Ruby brought out into a run, heading an alley. She heard someone following her. She glanced over her shoulder. Zoro followed her. She shouted over her shoulder, "I thought you wanted to look for a sword."

"You have the money," Zoro shouted back.

"Oh, I just got promoted to your sugar moma," Ruby asked. She jumped over several trash cans. She glanced over her shoulder to Zoro and caught the blush that spread over his cheeks. She laughed. "Is she still following us?"

"Nope," Zoro answered after a moment.

Ruby slowed to a stop. She leant against the wall to catch her breath. She glanced at Zoro. He panted. There was a glint in his eyes, but it was replaced by surprise. She glanced in the direction he was looking at and saw Luffy entering a huge courtyard. She pushed away from the wall and walked toward the captain.

~Ruby's Story~

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Reviews:

Chapter 1: Squirpdolphin – Yes, I did keep Ruby kissing Luffy in there. However, I did add an explanation to why she would do that. Thank you for your review.

Yaoi-freak2580 – Thank you very much. I hope you like this chapter.

I got a couple questions:

Do you like what I changed from the anime to this story? The part where Zoro breaks Tashigi's glasses.

What parts would you prefer to see again for the next chapter? Eg: Should Smoker arrest Ruby and make her miss out watching Sanji's cooking battle and Usopp's battle with 'Daddy'?

See ya Sunday!


	5. A Smokey Crystal

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Chapter 4 – A Smokey Crystal

"Hey, Luffy," Ruby called out. The straw hat captain turned his head, looking at the duo as they walked over.

"Heya," Luffy greeted, "What are you two doing?"

"Some woman started to call Ruby 'Crystal' and she took off running," Zoro explained.

"Crystal is one of your sisters," Luffy looked at Ruby, "She was born after you were."

Ruby wanted to groan. Luffy would not shut the hell about that pirate captain and his possible daughters. She sighed.

"So," Ruby started, "This is the place where the greatest pirate in history died…" she said, turning her gaze toward the execution platform.

"And the place where the pirate ago began," Luffy awed.

"Amazing," Zoro breathed, also staring at the three story structure.

"I'm gonna see the view the King of the Pirate saw before he died," Luffy stated. He walked toward the platform.

"Wait," Zoro blinked after the captain, "You are gonna climb that."

"Why not?" Luffy answered.

"Don't get stuck, Luffy," Ruby advised.

"I won't," Luffy called out. He grabbed the bottom X and slowly climbed the side of the structure.

Ruby glanced around the crowd. She spotted smoke raising to the sky. She paled. She turned to Zoro and hissed, "Give me your bandana."

"Why?" Zoro asked.

"The Marine Captain Smoker is heading this way," She explained before she untied the black bandana from his arm and tied the ends together. She slipped it over her head, pushing her red hair back and tucking the left side down over her left ear and eye.

"I want that back," Zoro grunted.

"You will get it back," Ruby promised. She glanced over in time to see Smoker standing a few feet away. She shifted her gaze toward Luffy. He was already started to climb the third X box.

"Hey," Smoker called out, "hey, boy."

"What do you want," Luffy turned his head and spoke to the Marine Captain, "I'm busy right now!"

"Are you the guy with the biggest bounty in the East Blue?" Smoker asked.

"I'm Luffy. Do you need something?" Luffy replied, climbing to the four X box before he slid down to the bottom of the third X box.

"I'm Captain Smoker of the Navy," Smoker introduced himself, "I'm in charge of Loguetown. You're under arrest."

"Huh? Arrest? Forget it!" Luffy said, "I'm just about to go into the Grand Line and be King of the Pirates!"

Smoker's eyes narrowed, "King of the Pirates?"

"I refuse to get arrested in a place like this," Luffy stated.

Ruby glanced at Zoro and muttered, "Want to get out of here?"

"No, if this marine starts fighting with Luffy," Zoro replied in a low tone, "I want be here as support."

"I doubt you and Luffy will be able to take him," she said, "He ate the plume-plume no mi. He is a living embodiment of smoke."

"Then you'll have to beat me first," Smoker said, "You don't get into the Grand Line unless you can beat me." He cracked his knuckles. "That's the rule of this town. That's assuming you're brave enough to fight me, of course."

Ruby groaned. Zoro smirked.

"You hear that Zoro, Ruby," Luffy called, "We can't get into the Grand Line unless I beat him?" he grinned.

Ruby wanted to bury her face in her hands when the straw hat captain brought attention to her and Zoro.

Smoker turned to them. He blinked in surprise, seeing the red head from the other island here and traveling with the straw hat crew. He motioned for two squads to move in on the duo.

"Well," Zoro said, "Apparently that goes for us, too, Ruby." He withdrew his sword.

"I just wanna to go home," Ruby muttered to herself. She slipped into a loose stance. She shifted the bandana back up her head, revealing her left ear and eye.

"Then I'll beat you," Luffy said to Smoker.

"Go ahead and try," Smoker dared. The two squads encircled Ruby and Zoro.

"Gum-gum no…" Luffy started as he flew from the platform, but his bottom half got stuck and he flew back, hitting the metal supports.

"I told you not to get stuck, Luffy!" Ruby yelled toward the Straw Hat Captain.

"He's made out of rubber," Smoker gasped.

"Darn it!" Luffy held onto his hat, "My legs are tangled!"

"Then untangled them and get a move on," Zoro yelled. The squads charged at the swordsman and the assassin.

Ruby swung her right leg out, kicking at a trio of marines. They went backwards. The red head quickly shoved her right leg down and slammed her left knee into a midsection of a fourth marine before she spirited toward a fifth and swung her body over his shoulder. She sat on the marine's shoulders and rolled over his head, bringing him with her. She felt her right foot land on the ground, hard enough to send a shockwave up her leg. She ignored the pain and she spun around, kicking out with her left leg at the next three marines charging at her. It was not long before they joined their teammates on the ground. Ruby panted as she turned to look at Zoro then Luffy.

Zoro had little trouble with his opponents even though he had only one sword. The Marines were piled together.

"Just what the hell are you doing?" Smoker yelled at Luffy.

"I'm not doing this 'cause I wanna!" Luffy protested, "It's my legs…" he pulled on his legs. He sprung free and he spun, "I'm unstuck."

"Gum-gum pistol!" Luffy cried out.

Smoker vanished and reappeared behind Luffy, saying, "Too slow." Luffy flew forward. Smoker quickly moved and kicked Luffy up into the air, lending back into a flip.

Luffy landed on the platform support beams. He pushed off, flying through the air, his right fist back and above his head, "Here I come."

Smoker planted his fist in Luffy's face. Luffy soared through the air, bouncing off the building behind the execution platform, bounced off the platform before he landed on the ground.

Smoker landed in a crunch. "22 years ago, I saw his execution. His proud final moments were worthy of the King of the Pirates…" he said, looking at the downed form of Luffy, "You, King of the Pirates? Don't make me laugh! You can't even enter the Grand Line!" Luffy struggled to his feet, "There's no point in getting back up."

"There's no way to know that unless I try," Luffy grinned at Smoker. The Marine Captain gave Luffy a look. The Straw Hat cried out, "Here goes! Gum-gum…whip!" Luffy's leg went back, curving around the platform before he kicked forward.

Smoker lend to the right, allowing the rubber leg to fly past him. Luffy's leg went to the water fountain and flew around it. "U-uh oh!"

Luffy paled and soared into the air, crying "I really messed that up." He disappeared into the sky.

Smoker turned and watched, muttering, "What's with that boy?"

Ruby sighed. She turned to Zoro. He was gone. She shifted her gaze to Smoker. He stared at her. She gave him a grin and wave before she darted away.

"Get back here!" Smoker roared.

"Hell no," Ruby shouted over her shoulder. She pushed her way through the crowd. She had enough time to register the muscle bound form of Smoker's chest before she ran into it. He grabbed her arms, wrapping her up in smoke. "Put me down!"

"You are under arrest," Smoker said. He walked to the marine base with Ruby kicking her legs until she decided to converse her energy.

Smoker slapped a pair of cuffs on Ruby's wrists. "Do you have any weapons?"

"Search me and found out," Ruby smirked.

Smoker shoved her around, making her face the wall and he barked, "Crystal! Could you get in here? I got a female prisoner I need you to search."

Ruby glanced over her shoulder as she mentally cursed. She was hoping she could get a shot at his nuts before she made her escape. She slipped a bobby pin from her waistband and picked at the cuffs.

"Sure," she heard this Crystal reply. Then Crystal walked into the room. Ruby's jaw dropped in surprise. "I heard…" Crystal started to say, but she trailed off.

Ruby's eyes roamed over the marine woman. It was just like looking into a mirror.

~Crystal~

Whatever Crystal was expecting, seeing her older sister after 13 years was not one of them.

" _Ruby's gone," her father whispered in the dead silence of the family room._

" _She ate some weird looking fruit," Crystal said, "She said it tasted really bad."_

" _A devil fruit," the red head form of her father straighten in his favorite chair, "She might be alive." There was a contraction of her father's face. "But what kind of devil fruit did Ruby find?"_

 _The following morning, Crystal and her four younger sisters said good-bye to their father. It was not long before her father's name and picture appeared on a wanted poster – Red Haired Shanks Le Roux, 65 Million, Dead or Alive._

Crystal felt a buried hatred raise up. She charged at Ruby.

~Ruby~

So, Luffy said was true. Crystal was her sister. Ruby remembered from her early years with Natasha, wondering where her sisters disappeared to. Now, she knew.

Ruby blinked and ducked down in time to dodged Crystal's right fist. It scattered pieces of the wall behind Ruby's head.

Ruby darted to the side, wanting to get some space to fight. She felt the cuffs snap open. They fell to the floor.

Crystal charged at her again. Ruby waited until the younger sister was within her reach and slammed her knee up into Crystal's midsection. The other woman fell to her knees, moaning in pain. Ruby knelt down and grabbed the cuffs.

"I didn't want to believe Luffy when he kept telling I was one of Shanks' daughters," Ruby started, a lump form in her throat "I lost my memory when I was 7. I didn't remember having a family. Tell me, Crystal, how did Shanks – Our father," Ruby shallowed the lump, "treat us? Was he kind, loving, and everything a father should be?"

Crystal looked up at Ruby, whispered, "Until he left, looking for you. He didn't come home for the rest of us, not even when Mom died."

Ruby darted to the right, jumped through the glass window. She soared through the air. She landed in a crunch, rolling over her shoulder and came up onto her feet. She ran forward until she reached the entranceway for the Marine base. She glanced back. She saw Crystal glaring at her.

Ruby turned and darted away, slipping off the bandana. She tucked the dark fabric into her waistband and grabbed a random hat from a vendor, covering her red hair. She also slipped a cloak from another vendor and disappeared down an alleyway, gather dirty on the cloak before she threw it over her form. She tilted the hat's brim down over her eyes and she walked from the ally way. She glanced around and spotted a dark green cloaked form following her.

Ruby walked through the streets. She glanced behind her at every corner she turned and saw each time the figure in the green cloak still trailing after her. She darted down an empty street and slowed to see if the cloaked figure would fall into her trap. She waited long enough for the figure to appear on the street before she flew around a corner. She waited. Her fingers wrapped around a knife hilt she had at the small of her back and slowly pulled it out. She held it at her side.

The figure didn't walk around the corner, but a voice drifted through the air, "Well, miss, we both had the same idea."

The voice sounded familiar, Ruby mused before she spoke, "Oh?"

"I'm waiting for you to attack me as you are waiting for me to attack you," the figure – a young man - explained.

 _Observation Haki_ Ruby cocked an eyebrow, saying, "Why were you following me?"

"To see if a rumor was true," the figure said.

"What rumor is that?" She asked, stepping around the corner. She saw a strong jawline and thought she also saw a scar disappearing up into the hood.

"Le Roux Ruby has returned from wherever she has been for the last 13 years," the young man said.

"I've been to many places," Ruby smirked. She thought she knew who the man was, "Some places were hell and other were paradise." She paused, "Tell me, where is the cooking competition being held at?"

The young man didn't say anything for a moment, before he replied, "Down on market street."

"Another question, hun, has there been any strange writing appeared within the last week with a large blond man walking away? He has a really loud voice."

"Not to my knowledge," the young man replied.

"Thank you," Ruby walked away, slipping her knife back into its sheath and she turned, remembering something "Oh, if you really want to get your memories back, Sabo," she grinned wider as she saw the young man stiffen in shock, "Travel with the Straw Hat Pirates for a bit. We have some clues to your missing past." She paused, "And yes, you bring your girlfriend." She spun around.

"SHE ISN'T MY GIRLFRIEND!" She heard Sabo yell. She laughed.

Ruby found Market Street a few moments later and thought about what just happen. She knew Dragon would be in town, but not Sabo. Hell, he shouldn't be in the East Blue since he was supposed to be somewhere else, sailing if she remembered correctly from the Sabo Special.

There was another problem. Thor didn't come. She frowned. She had hoped he would be able to take her back home, away from this mess. It was not possible. She, now, would have to choose – Stay with Luffy and his crew, track down Shanks – her father, or work as a freelance assassin – possible for the government. She sighed. Hell, she could even join the Revolutionary Army since the Head of the Army was here with the future – or was he already – second in command.

Ruby noticed there was a gathering crowd on the street as she approached it. She wondered how much of the storyline she would change if Sabo did show up with Koala on the Going Merry. It would be really interesting to see.

She approached the crowd and peered over heads, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on. She glanced to her right and asked a random person, "Hey, what's going on?"

The random person turned, replying, "The annual Loguetown Idol competition should be starting in a couple hours."

Well, the anime didn't tell or show that. That was one of the many things Ruby knew the anime didn't.

"Is there a prize," the red head asked.

"1 Million berries."

Ruby's eyebrows rose in surprise. Maybe she should do it. She knew if she continued to pickpocket, she would be eventually caught. Maybe she should try it.

"Is there a second place prize," the red head assassin asked.

The person nodded, "750,000 berries. Third place – 500,000 berries, Fourth place – 250,000. Fifth through tenth will get 100,000 berries each."

Ruby whistled lowly. That was a lot of berries – a total of 3 Million spent in this contest. If she got at least third place – a half of million, that would last her for a while, even if she didn't join the Straw Hats and decide to travel.

"Where do I sign up," she asked.

"Over there," the person pointed, "You only have a couple minutes left before it starts."

Ruby said her thanks and hurried over to the location where the person pointed at. She stood in front of the desk and stated, "I would like to sign up for the Idol Competition."

"Alright, please, fill out this paperwork," a young man said, "And I will assign you a number."

Ruby quickly filled out the paperwork and returned it, thought she had to bullshit on a couple things like 'What island are you from', she had put Dawn Island.

"Thank you," the man said, "You will be going last."

"Thank you," Ruby remembered her manners and left to grab a seat, trying to figure out what she will be singing and check out the competition.

Ruby let out a breath as she climbed the stairs, leading to the stage. "The last person in this round of the competition is Ruby Romanoff," the announcer called out before the announcer handed Ruby the mike and left the stage.

"Hello, everyone, I hope you are enjoying the performances," Ruby started, "My name is Ruby and I will be singing 'Son of Man'." She took a breath as the song started. She closed her eyes, listening as her mind replayed an AMV she saw about the infamous ASL pirates and their childhood.

" _Oh, power to strong and the wisdom to be wise_

 _All these things will come to you in time_

 _On this journey that you're making_

 _There'll be answers that you'll seek_

 _And it's you who'll climb the mountain_

 _It's you who'll reach the peak."_

Ruby opened her eyes and allowed them roam over the crowd. She spotted Zoro in the back of the crowd with Sanji, Nami, and Usopp. She blushed as she went onto the next set of lyrics.

" _Son of Man, Look to the sky_

 _Lift your spirit, set it free_

 _Someday you'll walk tall with pride_

 _Son of man, a man in time you'll be_

 _Though there's no one there to guide you_

 _No one to take your hand_

 _But with faith and understanding_

 _You will journey from boy to man_

 _Son of man, look to the sky_

 _Lift your spirit, set it free_

 _Someday you'll walk tall with pride_

 _Son of man, a man in time you'll be_

 _In learning you will teach_

 _And in teaching you will learn_

 _You'll find your place beside the ones you love_

 _Oh, and all the things you dreamed of_

 _The visions that you saw_

 _Well, the time is drawing near now_

 _It's yours to claim it all_

 _Son of Man, look to the sky_

 _Lift your spirit, set it free_

 _Someday you'll walk tall with pride_

 _Son of man, a man in time you'll be_

 _Son of man_

 _Son of Man's a man for all to see."_ Ruby finished. She paused and looked at the crowd, seeing the shocked faces. Zoro started to clap. It echoed around the small square. Sanji let out a whistle. Ruby blushed. The cheering spread out. Ruby bowed and walked off the stage.

Ruby made it to the next round and sang, 'Maps' by Marron 5, followed by 'Hands up' an opening for One Piece, with 'Our Battle Cry' by Skillet, and finally, 'Hero' By Flow, the song from Dragon Ball Z's Battle of Gods, the movie.

" _Overcome the tears, your chest is throbbing_

 _Feelings overflow, Echoing far and near_

 _We aspire for the sky; our dreams will come true,"_ Ruby sang. She moved across the stage. _"Keep on going 'till tomorrow,"_ she repeated the last verse and rose her voice, _"I'll send you this song of hope!"_ She waited until the last note drifted through the air and bowed. She left the stage as the crowd cheered.

Ruby spotted Smoker glaring at her as she stopped on the stairs. She glanced around, looking for his back-up. She saw Crystal sitting in the front row and noticed there were several marines walking through the crowd. Sanji waved at her from the side of one of the buildings. She slowly nodded. Zoro, Usopp, and Nami disappeared.

"Ruby Le Roux," Smoker shouted, walking toward Ruby, "You are under –"

"Ruby Romanoff, please, return to the stage," the announcer called out. Ruby stepped back onto the stage, backing away from Smoker. "I think the vote unified, you are the winner of the Loguetown Idol." Ruby smiled. "Here is your prize."

"Thank you," Ruby said. She grabbed the briefcase and noticed Crystal started to climb on the stage. Ruby rushed at Crystal before she flipped over her younger sister and landed on her feet. She spun around and darted away.

"GET BACK HERE!" Smoker roared.

The crowd parted as Ruby darted through it, heading to the last place where she saw Sanji. She saw out of the corner of her eye, several marines tried to jump at her. She leaped into a roll as the marines soared over her. She forced herself up to her feet and ran at a stack of boxes, parkouring up the boxes.

Ruby's eyes widen as she fought to keep her balance. She bounced from a lantern post to lantern post. She heard someone following her. She turned her head back, spotting Crystal struggling to keep her balance. Ruby bounced along the wall until she spotted Zoro standing on the street below and she whistled loudly.

Zoro looked up at Ruby. She held up the briefcase. He nodded in understanding. She dropped it to him before she ran up the wall and grabbed the roof's edge. She pulled herself up and glanced back.

Smoker raced along the rooftop at her. Crystal landed on the lantern post. Zoro kicked the bottom of the post, hard, before he walked away. The post warbled like a leaf in the wind. Crystal lost her balance and fell 20 feet to the ground. Smoker saw what happen and flashed down to Crystal's falling form.

Ruby darted across the rooftop, leaping off of the edge. She fell through the air and landed on the balls of her feet, pushing herself into a forward roll and straight up onto her feet. She walked forward as Zoro stepped up next to her. She gave him a cocked grin as she took back the briefcase.

"That was impressive," Zoro commented as they disappeared into the crowd.

"Which part," she asked. Her eyes fell onto a Straw Hat turning. "I think that's Luffy." She pointed him out.

"All of it," He said, "Let's re-join him."

"Where did Sanji, Usopp, and Nami disappeared to," Ruby asked.

"Dartboard went back to his cooking competition, Usopp left with the bounty hunter called Daddy, and the witch god knows where," Zoro explained.

Ruby snorted, "You are so helpful." She sidestepped a person in the crowd and approached Luffy as he stood. "Yo, Lu."

Luffy turned his head and grinned at Ruby and Zoro, "Hey, you two. I'm hungry."

Ruby sighed and said, "Let's go find a restaurant then I'm hunt down Sanji to watch him in the cooking competition."

"What?" Luffy gapped, "Sanji is taking part in a cooking competition."

"Yup," Ruby grinned, "But only the judges are allowed to eat the food. That's why we are going to a restaurant before we go watch Sanji."

"Oh, okay," Luffy replied.

Ruby, Zoro, and Luffy sat at a restaurant table, eating Spanish themed food as shitty music drifted through the air. Ruby glanced around.

"Damn!" she heard someone say, _"That damn detestable Straw Hat!"_ the voice sounded like it was coming from behind her, _"To think that we can't find him despite looking all over for him like this."_

" _But Captain, why in the heck do we have to wear cloak like this?"_ a man asked.

Ruby grabbed her glass and drained it before she set it back on the table. She blinked, staring at Zoro. He gave her a look. She pointed at her ear then jerked her thumb behind her. He nodded before he went back to eating.

"Did you get your swords," Ruby asked, glancing down at Zoro's waist.

"No," Zoro replied, "You had the money."

She blinked and faint red colored her cheeks, "Sorry about that. I forgot."

"Oh, well, we can go find my swords after watching the love cook kick some ass," he grunted before he tore into a piece of steak.

Luffy grinned and managed to say around a mouthful of food, "I'll come with you two." Ruby and Zoro glanced at each other before giving Luffy a confused look.

"Why?" Ruby asked, "I thought you wanted to see the execution platform."

There was a loud clank as a bottle was forced down upon a table and the first voice asked, _"Don't you know anything about being a pirate?"_

"I will," Luffy said, "But I want to there to support Sanji in this competition and see what kind of swords you two get."

'Well, damn,' Ruby thought, 'This Luffy is different from the anime version of him.'

" _There's an annoying pair of Navy Captains named Smoker and Crystal in this town,"_ the man – was that Buggy? – explained, _"If they find us, my plan to get revenge on that Straw hat will be ruined!"_ A fist slammed against the table. _"Hurry up and find that Straw Hat!"_

"Man, I'm stuffed," Luffy lend back in his chair.

"We have to eat good before we leave Loguetown," Luffy said, "I was starving."

"You are always hungry," Ruby stated as she held out her glass to Zoro. The moss haired swordsman grabbed the rum bottle nearby him and poured some of the rum into her glass. She sipped on it.

"To be honest, so was I," Zoro refilled his glass, "I was hungry, but I didn't have money."

Ruby sighed. She remembered the anime version of this scene. "Good thing I won that prize money earlier," she commented, "Or else we would be so screwed." She eyed the amount of plates and Luffy's inflated belly.

"Yeah," Zoro agreed.

"How much did you win?" Luffy asked.

"1 Million," Ruby replied, "I'm paying." She reached into her pockets and grabbed all of the loose money she had in there. She started to count it out as a waiter walked by with their bill – 2,000 berries. She glanced at it and glanced at Luffy before she muttered, "Gluttonous captain." She grinned in surprise when she saw she didn't have crack into the briefcase that sat between her feet. She set the money under the bill and planned to give to the waiter a damn good tip – 1,000 berries.

The waiter walked by again and Ruby held up the bill. "Keep the change." She informed him.

" _That's true, but really… that Straw Hat is an annoying bastard!"_ Buggy yelled out.

Luffy and Zoro glanced behind Ruby with raised eyebrows. Zoro turned to Luffy and asked, "Do you know that guy?"

"I don't think so," Luffy replied.

"How about we get out of here before Big Nose turns around and sees Luffy," Ruby suggested, "Right now, I really don't want to fight on a full stomach if you get my meaning."

"Who the hell are you calling BIG NOSE!" Buggy yelled.

Ruby and Buggy turned around to face each other. She sighed and raised her arm up and thrust it forward into the big red nose. Buggy's head flew back as his devil fruit powers activated.

"Run for it," Ruby called out, grabbing the briefcase. The Straw Hat Trio dashed from the table and disappeared out of the door before Buggy could get his head back to his body.

Luffy laughed as the trio ran down the street. Ruby glanced behind them and saw they weren't being followed and grabbed Zoro's arm before she reached out to touch Luffy's arm.

"They are not following us," Ruby said, grinning in amusement.

Zoro glanced at her, "Where's the cooking competition at?"

"Give me a sec," Ruby said, "Don't go anywhere." She walked away to a random person and asked for the information about the cooking competition and the nearest sword store. She grinned and nodded her thanks before she returned to Zoro and Luffy who both surprised her by staying right there where she had left them.

"The cooking competition doesn't start for another hour," she informed them, "And the nearest sword store is just a block away."

"Alright," Zoro said.

"Let's go your swords then find Sanji," Luffy said.

~Ruby's Story~

The reason why I haven't update like I promised – 15 days ago, my boyfriend of 8 years visited me and suggested we take a break to prevent a huge argument where we could end up hating each other. In shock, I agreed. So, for the last 15 days, now the shock has worn off, I have been fighting depression, lack of motivation to do anything, and I've been hurting. I've been eating a quartet of ice cream almost daily, crying myself to sleep, and trying not to think about the pain of losing him. I've watched the Princess Bride once already… will be watching it again today. I've tried watching Deadpool – got a half hour into it before I said fuck it. When I told my ex that, he sounded so surprise that I couldn't even watch it and didn't realize how upset I was until I told him.

I've been trying to find a damn good romantic fanfiction of either One Piece or Dragon Ball Z. I'm about ready to write one myself to help me heal as I wait for him to figure what he wants in life, how is he gonna get it, etc. We could back together before Aug 26th which is my birthday or before Christmas – he doesn't know. I've asked him not to get my hopes up.

Anyway, thank you to Yaoi-freak2580 and Squirpsdoplphin for reviewing the last chapter. I will try my best to have the next chapter up by June 10th. Hopefully, by the time I get to update again, I will have a couple set aside to get on an updating schedule since I want to have Part 1 finished on Aug 26th and Part 2 finished by Christmas.

Please don't forget to tell me how you like this chapter.


	6. New Story Poll Plz Help

~NEW POLL~

Hey, y'all,

First of all – Yeah, another author's note. It has been – how long since my oh-so-wonderful boyfriend of 8 years and I went on a break? Answer: too damn long! I hate May 13th – a while. I do have my good days and my horrible, shitty, why do I have what feel like a hole in my chest (I hope I don't turn into a Hallow), really bad days, especially the days where I only get less than 3 hours of sleep. As of, 6/12, today, My ex and I had our last argument. I feel almost Free and on the verge of an Adventure.

On top of all things, 6/12, today, is the anniversary of my grandmother's death. She died last year from a form of Kidney Cancer.

At least, this morning, I will be able to watch my all-time favorite Dragon Ball Z Character come back – Future Trunks, my love, oh, I have missed you! – into the current storyline of Dragon Ball Super! I will also probably, most highly likely, binge watch on Yu Yu Hakusho and Game of Thrones. Why Yu Yu Hakusho? Besides being my first love of anime and probably the first one I managed to watch all the way through, I love the interaction between the Spirit Dectective, the thrilling fights, and Hiei. I named my Blue Russian after that demon. I also managed to fall in love with my ex-boyfriend, who only after I thought about it, is a lot like Hiei. He don't speak unless he wants to insult someone, and tell you how is it not how you like it. However, I'm pretty sure Hiei would have treated me a lot better than my ex did. Game of Thrones? I promise my brother I would watch it.

But that is not why I am posting this probably annoying Author's Note. The real reason why I am posting this – I have a lot of story ideas, original and fanfiction. I am focusing on my Fanfiction Ideas, today. I need your help to choose which stories I will update weekly, monthly, every two months, and every six months.

Now, I would like to at least read one – just one – chapter per story and leave a review before you vote:

 **Ruby's Story** -summary: Avenger Ruby Romanoff at age 7 had lost her memories. Now, at 20, she finds herself in their World. She wants to go home, but could it be she is already home? Ruby/Zoro. Eventually will be Marco/Ruby/Zoro pairing.

Other Notes: This is gonna be a multi part story, covering the Marvel Movies and One Piece Storyline. After the time skip, it will slowly move away from cannon because Ruby does save Ace and Luffy from Akainu and the Straw Hat Crew will expand. Right now, I am have written down 41 "named" characters, but I will no doubt max at 50 – I will not go pass that number unless something happens and I think a character would be benefit to the crew. The Arcs will a lot longer, 10 – 15k Chapters and will expanded to 3-5 chapters. However, I am writing Ch 5 of Part 1, covering the Logue Town Arc. I just watched the lastest Episode of One Piece – the one about the Grand Straw Hat Fleet. I love Luffy, but I think when I reach this point in Ruby's Story Part 5 – Ruby will try to conceive with Marco's help into accepting the Grand Fleet with different conditions – instead of the Father and son bond the Grand Fleet is looking for, maybe the 7 leaders of the Fleet will become Lieutenants of the Fleet or another high rank position similar to an Army like Generals.

 **The 17** **th** **Division: Mom of the Whitebeard Pirates** : Summary: OC-centric There was only one woman for Whitebeard. He just had to wait until she was ready for him, but sending him a letter after 8 years, asking for his help because the World Government was after her and her 'sons' was not what he was expecting nor the reason why her 'sons' were being hunted down. Law and Kid with ASL raised by the Whitebeard Pirates. Mother-fic Whitebeard/OC

Other notes: I haven't started on the next chapter, just yet. I am planning to do to that today. However, there could be up to 40 total chapters in the first Saga, depending on Chapter length. I haven't planned the Second Saga yet.

 **A Trucker's Love** : Summary: Inspired by her parents, Val Flynn became a truck driver. She didn't expect to be participating in an alien war. It was supposed to be fictional! OP/OC

Other Notes: When my other computer got fried, I lost most of the chapter I had typed. I have to go back, re-read what I had written, and plan from there.

 **Adventure of a Modern Woman** : Summary: Slight Twilight crossover. Valerie lost her memory when she was 15. The Cullen Family adopted her. Now, she wants nothing more than go back to their side. There is a slight problem - She's stuck in Camelot, working as a servant until she finds a way back home, using her knowledge of the Arthurian legends to help the Once and Future King and the Greatest Warlock to walk to the Earth.

Other Notes: Same thing with 'A Trucker's Love'. I have to re-read it and go from there, but I, lucky me, had hand-written it and went through my trash to find the pages to only realize that I was still missing a few pages from the chapter. I might have to write it for it to make sense.

 **Bonded** Series:

Book 1 Summary: If she didn't listen to those rumors, she would have not found out her dead soul mate was still alive as the world's most dangerous assassin, credited with at least 2 dozen assassinations with the last 50 years. Will James Barnes show through the icy exterior of the Winter Soldier? What will she have to give up to keep him? Bucky/OC AU Will be Edited, See profile for more

Book 2: Sequel to Bonded. Valerie doesn't regret meeting James, her soul mate. They have been captured by Hydra. Will they get out Hydra alive or will Hydra eat them alive? Bucky/OC Slight crossover with X-men. on hold temporary

Other notes: This was the major story I was working on early this year. When I fired my computer, I lost the next complete chapter and kinda gave up. I will probably no doubt, re-write it and make it better.

 **His Troubled Angel** : Summary: Hillary O'Conner has no clue why they, meaning Hillary and her brother Eli, were now in Midgar. The clues she has are Sephiroth is not on his Mommy-complex, Genesis Rhapsodos is a pervert, Angeal Hewley appears to be honor bound to protect Hillary from Genesis, Eli is a Turk that hates Hillary guts,Zack is a hyperactive pup... Full Summary Inside Genesis/OC OC-centric

Other notes: Wow! Yeah, I will have to re-write this one. Why? I only wrote it to help with some issues I was dealing with back in 2012. I did enjoy writing it, but I felt like it could have been so, so, so much better. I even did a damn timeline, during the second attempt, to help put things down on paper.

 **Remembering Sabo** : Summary: Dreams are supposed to be our unconscious mind telling us something, right? Maybe Harry should pay attention to them. Maybe he should pay attention to that wanna-be Dark Lord and defeat him before Harry gets killed, right? What is Harry, anyway? A pirate? A Wizard? Both?

Other Notes: I accept this changelle from BleakSeaReaper a couple years ago. At first, I ran out of ideas to make my twist of the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This past time, writer's block. I am going have to do a lot of planning this one since I have a rough idea where I want to start, what I will tell, etc.

 **Starish 7 Maji Love 1000%** : Summary: She replaced Haruka. Will she be strong enough to change their fates for the better or for the worst?

Other notes: This is the result after binge watch Uta no Prince-sama, several times. I am so excited for this October. Season 4 is coming out.

 **The Sister Saga: Yusana's Story** : Summary: A lost princess of the Fire Demons from Raizen's part of Demon World is only half demon. After she loses her throne to her full demonic uncle, she must try to survive on her own, but a rumor sends her to the human word where she runs into her half-sisters.

Other notes: This is an old story idea. My friend – Clover – and I had this idea when we were teenagers. After nearly a decade and a couple attempts together to write this story, I have decide to do it with her, but I will eventually write Clover's and Cleo's stories after I get done with my part – Yusana's Story. I probably will add a fourth sister to the mix.

 **NEW STORIES** :

 **Destruction's Strength** : Summary: Valerie Rogers ate a Devil Fruit and travels through the universe to only land on a different of her Earth, in time to help defeat a villain named Majin Buu and eventually meet her soul mate – Beerus. One Problem – He's the God of Destruction and he has been waiting for her for a long time.

Other Notes: Similar to His Troubled Angel and the 17th Division creation. I'm writing this for two reasons. First Reason, like His Troubled Angel, is to help me to get through the heartache of losing the one man I thought was my forever, my happy ending, my soulmate. Second reason, like the 17th Division, how many Beerus/OC pairings are out there? 57 stories involving the God Of Destruction, 21 of them are with an OC, and … 2 with the pairing. I know there are a couple more – involving lemons. My point is there a lot of room for this guy to be explore…

Annja: Ba ca wow wow!

Really, Annja? *cocks an eyebrow at the red head OFC* Let's ignore her. Where was I? Oh yeah, and let's not even talk about Whis!

 **Cooking for Destruction** : Summary: Ruby Rogers works as a head chef at a 5-star restaurant and is invited to cook for a dinner party. Beerus tastes one thing that Ruby has prepared for the party and decides he has enough of Whis' cooking.

Other notes: Again, not enough Beerus/OC. I will most definitely add in some of the urban legends out there like the 'Black Eyed Children'. If you haven't heard about the 'Black Eyed Children', one version of the urban legend is a boy and a girl with black eyes – no white showing – show up in the dead of night, asking to come in, telling the homeowners their parents will be there shortly. They are known to be extremely violent if denied entry into the house. The one story my mom – she's a truck driving – told me, the black eyed children got permission to enter this couple's house. Shortly thereafter, the husband started to have his nosebleed, one of the four cats start to hiss in the kitchen as it watched the 'black eyed children' and the wife made the kids a cup of hot chocolate as they waited for the children's parents to arrive. A light shone down from the sky, covering the house in the light. The "Black Eyed Children" get up, telling the couple that their parents have arrived and depart. After trying to get the husband's nose to stop bleeding, the wife takes to him the ER where they are informed that the husband's senses are burnt from being in the tanning bed for too long and now has an advance form of Skin Cancer. One Problem – the husband doesn't get into the tanning beds at all. The only reason why he would have that problem – the 'Black Eyed Children' had very strong radiation coming off of them.

There have been a lot of eye-witness accounts of these "Black Eyed Children" throughout the last couple _hundred_ years. Let's not even me started on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the books that were _left out of the Holy Christen Bible_ – recently, one of the scrolls is reported to be "The Book of Giants" like twice of Hagrid's size in the Harry Potter series and they have evidence of a 30-foot skeleton of a Giant. There are a lot of things I am willingly to write, to explore through writing, and be willingly to publish under a penname, of course. So, I would like to point out, right now, _the Bible was written by men_ , inspired by God and son of God, Jesus. That is all I am saying. I feel like I do say something else, it will spark a huge debate and I am not willingly to take part in that since I will point a lot of stuff within the bible and other historical documents that will piss off a few people.

Last Story:

 **Second Chance at Love** : Summary: Bardock wasn't bonded to Gine and somehow managed to survive the destruction of Planet Vegeta. He travels to find his sons. Son Annja, daughter of Gohan and Genkai, adopts Goku shortly after the baby lands on Earth. Bardock/OC

Other notes: I like the idea of Bardock coming to Earth and either to raise Goku or meeting Goku while he is an adult. I have seen a couple stories with the idea. However, my take will have some YYH elements added in, at least the beginning. It might be a full crossover eventually.

12 stories to choose from. What am I thinking?! I will keep the poll up for this week 6/12-6/20. I will post a chapter- yes, an actually chapter – per story with the results. I will accept votes through reviews, but I do have a poll on my profile on . So, you really get to vote twice for the 3 stories you want me to work on.

Again, the Choices:

1 – Ruby'S Story

2- The 17th Division

3- A Trucker's love

4- Adventure of a Modern Woman

5 - Bonded

6 – His Troubled Angel

7- Remembering Sabo

8 – Starish 7 Maji Love 100%

9- The Sister's Saga: Yusana's Story*

10- Destruction's Strength*

11- Traveling the Universe with Destruction*

12 – Second Chance at Love*

*Not yet posted. I will post these stories depending on the results of the polls.


	7. Swords, Pipes, and Food

Hello, dear readers! Raises a Christmas theme mug in greeting, a pair of snowflake earrings glittered, a matching pendent on shirt* It's been far too long since I had seen you guys. Most of my stories hadn't been update since June, but I have had a rough summer and fall, thanks to trying to get over my ex. Now, Thanksgiving, here in the USA, is over and I watch as my town, friends, and family starts to decorate for Christmas, I struggle with my own Christmas Spirit. This will be the first time in 8 years that I will be spending Christmas in a romantic sense, alone, but I am trying to keep my head up.

However, enough of my personal issues because we all know that is not the reason why you are reading this short note. It is December 1! I don't remember if I promise an updating Blitz. If you don't know or don't remember what an updating blitz is, an updating Blitz is a short period time where I, the author, will be busting my ass to update ALL my stories. Last time I hosted an updating blitz, it lasted a week and it was only for my story, 17th Division: Mom of the Whitebeard Pirates. That 'short period' will cover the next 24 days…until December 25, Christmas Day, where I will post a Christmas Special for each of my stories.

*looks down in the Christmas mug with a frown* Damn! I'm out of soda, already, guess I'm gonna start drinking hot coco until I can get some soda. *Looks up* Here's the first chapter of the Updating Blitz.

~Ruby's Story~

Chapter 5- Swords, Pipes, and Food

Ruby led her captain and first mate into the sword store. She glanced around the store, looking for possible escape routes. She knew there was a possible escape route through the back of the store which looked like it transformed into house type setting. Maybe the store keeper lived here beside just manning the store with his family. There should be a back door that the storekeeper used daily to receive deliveries and other stuff.

She knew the trio could escape through the front part of the store. There were two huge windows on either side of the door they could use. She figured the windows were not bullet proof unlike the ones she was used to back home. She could easily use something from one of the shelves to break the windows.

A sound echoed from above. Ruby glanced up towards the ceiling. There was someone walking around on the second floor. Her eyes darted back toward the counter.

Zoro walked up to the counter as the storekeeper snored. It echoed around the empty store.

"I want to buy a katana," the moss head swordsman announced.

The man's eyes popped open. His head slipped off of his hand before falling down toward the counter. He managed to stop himself in time. The storekeeper sat straight up. His eyes snapped closed. He slapped his hands together. He grinned, widely, in a way that Zoro knew the man was swindle the green haired man.

"Yes, yes, welcome!" the storekeeper greeted, "Have a look at anything you'd like. Our shop's been in business for 200 years, you see!"

"I'm here to buy two swords," Zoro stated, "What do you have?"

"How much do you have?" the store keeper questioned.

"Enough," Zoro replied, "Hey, what's my spending limit?" he turned to the red head.

"100,000 berries," Ruby replied.

The store keeper immediately frowned and placed his elbow back on the counter, looking disinterested. He replied, "50,000 a sword will only get you some dull blades."

"I'll make do with whatever," Zoro stated, "Just point me to where they are at."

The store keeper scoffed at the reply. He pointed over to the left side of the store, nearby Ruby.

Zoro walked over to the barrels.

Luffy wondered over to a barrel that held pipes, in the corner. He shifted through the lead pipes. It would be nice if he had another pipe again. He remembered he was growing up, Ace, Sabo, and he used pipes as a weapon against the various enemies they faced. He also remembered how he had lost his pipe before Sabo died, during the Grey Terminal Fire. Ace lost his pipe, too, during the fire.

Luffy and Ace didn't use pipes as their weapons anymore after Sabo died. It didn't feel right since Sabo was the one who suggested pipes, Ace told him.

He grabbed a random pipe and swung it around his hand, getting a feel of the pipe. He remembered how to use one. He didn't hear the store keeper talking to Zoro.

"What are you looking for," the store keeper asked, "I might be able to help."

Luffy looked up at him. He shook his head. He replied, "I'm just looking at the moment." The Straw Hat captain turned to Ruby. "Oi, may I get this?" he held up the pipe.

"How much?"

"2,500 berries," the store keeper replied, this time.

"That is doable," Ruby replied, nodding, "Get two, in case one breaks, Lu."

"Alright," Luffy said. He grabbed one more pipe.

Ruby rolled her blue eyes. She stepped away from the door. She wondered down the first aisle, looking at the various sword polishing equipment and other sword care items. She set the briefcase down on the floor. She glanced at the store keeper as he tried to butter Zoro up, claiming the store had been opened for 200 years. She grabbed an item off the shelf and read the label before she set it back down. She felt someone's gaze on her. She looked at the store keeper.

"What are you doing here, Captain Crystal?" the store keeper asked, "Usually, you don't come into my store."

Ruby smiled at the store keeper, and she replied, "These gentlemen needed help finding a sword store. I also picking a few things up."

The store keeper nodded, apparently happy with her answer. He froze, looking at Zoro's white sword.

"Don't think about it, good sir," Ruby advised. Her blue eyes narrowed at him. The Store keeper glanced at her. "That's an heirloom. He won't part from it, no matter how much money you offer him."

"Not for 200,000 berries," the store keeper tried.

"I know for a damn fact," Ruby glared at him, "that sword is worth at least 7 million berries."

Ruby glanced up toward the door as Luffy walked over. She muttered a soft curse. She reached over and grabbed the Straw Hat from his head and slipped over the side of her face. The door opened and Tashigi walked in. She heard the marine woman talking to the Store keeper about her sword before the blue haired woman caught sight of the Wado Ichimonji. Ruby "What are you talking about?" Zoro asked. He looked through the cheap swords.

"Your sword," Ruby replied, "Is one of the 21 legendary Swords. He was trying to buy it from you. It's known as Wado Ichimonji, I think."

He listened to her as he picked up a sword. He waited for her to continued, but the red head didn't. He put the sword back. He heard Luffy make a soft protest about his hat. He turned his head around and watched as Ruby slipping the Straw Hat over the side of her head, blocking her face from view of the door. He glanced up and saw the reason why she did that as the door opened as the swords woman from earlier walked in.

Tashigi walked in. She glanced around the shop, announcing she was there to pick up her personal sword. She pulled her glasses down over her eyes and blinked at Zoro. She asked in an awe tone, "Is this sword the Wado Ichimonji?"

Ruby noticed Luffy give her a look. She leaned over. She whispered, "This is the marine lady whom mistaken me for Crystal."

He nodded in understanding and watched Zoro and Tashigi.

Ruby was glad her - the - captain did not opened his mouth to say anything. She continued to look through the shelves. She glanced at various items for swords and other weapons. She spotted a couple ancient looking guns and checked them out. She only sighed with disappointment when she saw there was nothing compatible with her only gun she had kept in her school bag. That meant she only had a magazine - 15 bullets - left. She would have to use them wisely. She guessed she would have keep the bullets for those life or death situations where her back would be against the wall.

Ruby thought about it. She could pick up another gun. She really didn't want to since the gun she used was a gift from Natasha for her one year anniversary where she was kidnapped. She proved throughout that year she was strong, her goal was to get stronger no matter the cost. She wanted to prevent that ever happening again.

Tashigi grabbed the Wado Ichimonji from Zoro's waist. Zoro made a noise of protest as he looked at the marine, startled.

She pulled the Wado out of its sheath. The tip of the sword pointed skyward. She gazed at the sharp blade with awe. She said, "What a beautiful straight temper line! I believe it's one of the 21 O-Wazamono swords." She put the sword away and handed it back to Zoro before she dug out a small red book. She flipped through the pages.

"See," the woman pointed it out to Zoro, "Look at this! It's worth no less than 10 million Berries."

"It's worth more than you said it was, Ruby," Zoro smirked at the red head.

Ruby gave Zoro a scowl. She glanced at Tashigi. She noticed the blue haired woman had pushed up her glasses, holding back her hair as she read the small book she carried with her. Ruby flipped Zoro off. She knew she could not expect to remember everything from the anime and the manga.

"But what are you doing with such a legendary sword?" the marine asked, looking at him with dark blue eyes.

"Family Heirloom," Zoro answered, using Ruby's explanation. He saw Ruby smirk at him out of the corner of his eye. He gave her a side kick to her shin. She winced. He heard Luffy snort with amusement as he watched.

"Are you trying to sell it?" The copy of his childhood friend asked.

"No," he replied, "I'm trying to get two more swords."

Luffy, Zoro, and Ruby watched as the store keeper punched the shelf between himself and the four customers.

"Curse you! You just had to blurt it all out," the store keeper ranted, "I'm suing for obstruction of business!"

Tashigi pulled down her glasses, and asked, "Obstruction of business? I'm sorry! Did I say something wrong?"

The store keeper growled and stated, "You're here for your Shigure, right? I'm done polishing it. Take it and get the hell out!" He stormed away and went back behind the front counter. He pulled out a sword before he tossed it at Tashigi.

Tashigi caught the sword by her finger tips. She stumbled backwards toward Ruby.

Ruby sighed as the marine fell back toward her. She stepped forward, kept the straw hat on her head, and caught the Marine before the woman could do any damage to the store and piss off the Store keeper, anymore then she did.

She listened to the store keeper as he ranted about Tashigi's ability not to cause a mess everywhere the blue haired woman went.

"That dumb girl saved you," the store keeper addressed Zoro.

Zoro gave him an emotionless look.

The store keeper continued, "It's true, that's sword' so legendary it'd be a waste for a guy who doesn't know its value to walk around with it. Just take whatever two you want!" He turned away.

"What's he so mad about," Zoro muttered to Luffy and Ruby.

"He lost money," Ruby replied, "He thought he could get your Wado for such a low amount that he could turn around and make a huge ass profit of it."

Luffy sent the store keeper a dark look. Zoro, Ruby noticed, looked annoyed.

"Anyway," the red head changed the subject, "let's find us new swords."

She heard Tashigi walked over and commented, "You must really like swords, carrying three of them around."

Ruby hissed out of the corner of her mouth to Luffy, "Not a word from you, right now." She glared at Luffy, "Promise me."

"I promise," Luffy shot her a confused look, but he replied anyway.

Ruby started to go through one barrel as Zoro worked his way through another.

"That's almost like this one bounty hunter out there," Tashigi continued.

"Bounty hunter, huh," Zoro replied.

Ruby pulled out a sword and glanced at the blade. She sighed. She didn't have a clue on what type of sword that would work for her. She knew it was similar to guns. She glanced over onto shelf. There were a couple ancient looking guns.

"He's famous! His name is Roronoa!" Tashigi said.

"I hear the name a lot," Zoro said.

"Yes. He's a famous swordsman all throughout the East Blue," the marine explained, "But he's a notorious person! Using swords as bounty-hunting tools is unforgivable! Why is evil so strong in this era?"

"It's depends on what your definition of evil," Ruby voiced as she stood with her right hip popped out.

"All the famous sword masters are pirates or bounty hunters," Tashigi stated.

"It's because the World Government forces them to be better or they would lose their life," Ruby argued.

"Then they should have joined the Marines," Tashigi argued.

"What is so damn good about the Marine anyway," Ruby stated.

"Marines uphold the justice -" Tashigi protested.

"On whose definition of Justice," Ruby asked, "The World Government's? The Admiral's? The council of 5?" she gave Tashigi a look from under the Straw Hat. "Whoever rules the world make their rules when it comes to justice. Most of the time, it is not in the best interest of the people."

"The World Government does the best interest of the people at heart," Tashigi argued. She paused, "It's a real shame you feel that way."

Ruby stared at Tashigi. She thought about saying something, but changed her mind. She didn't bother saying anything else on the subject. She got the feeling that if she did, the two women would just argued over whose point of view was better.

"I dunno," Zoro started, "Maybe everyone has their own circumstances and stuff? All jobs need to keep up with times somehow."

Ruby listened as Tashigi announced her dream of finding all 92 legendary swords and take them out of 'the hands of criminals of the world'.

Zoro half turned and addressed the marine, "You gonna take this sword, too. The Wado Ichimonji, was it?" He pushed on the hilt, allowing an inch of the blade to show.

"No, it's not that I want legendary swords…" Tashigi said, "I'm just saying I don't like them being in criminals' hands."

Ruby heard the door opened. She glanced in that direction. She paled.

Tashigi turned in that direction. She grinned, "Hello, Captain Crystal."

"Major," Crystal nodded to her, walking forward the counter.

"Wait a minute," the Store keeper had a light bulb moment and turned to face Ruby. "Who are you?"

Ruby grinned and bowed, saying "You just missed me, dearest Cry." She darted around Luffy and ran through the door. She immediately went to the right around the building.

Ruby climbed onto a stack of boxes and disappeared onto the roof.

"Damn it!" Crystal yelled out, "I will catch you, Ruby." She turned around and headed by the way she came.

Ruby smirked. She walked calmly to the other side of the roof. She waited for Luffy and Zoro.

Meanwhile inside the shop, Zoro shook his head as Ruby disappeared through the door. That woman would be perfect for the crew. He grabbed one of the swords in the barrel and paused. Zoro grabbed the shealth with his right hand, staring at the sword.

Luffy grinned when Ruby ran through the door. He didn't have to worry. He knew she would protect his hat. He spotted Crystal a second later who ran past the store front. Luffy turned his attention to Zoro as the first mate pulled out a black hilted sword from the barrel. Luffy frown, looking at the sword. Something was off about it.

"That sword!" Tashigi gasped, "I think it's…" she flipped through the pages of her small red book. "I thought so! Kitetsu III! It's the Kitetsu III!" She looked at the moss haired man. "its predecessor, the Kitetsu II, is an O-Wazamono sword, and the Kitetsu I before that is listed as a Top O-Wazamono sword."

Zoro listened as he pulled the blade of the shealth. He heard the blue haired woman turned to the shop keeper and asked about the price of the sword. Zoro stared at the blade, with narrowed eyes and a frown crossing his lips. Tashigi began to instisted for Zoro to buy the sword, but Zoro felt a blood lust run through the blade.

Zoro tightened his grip on the hilt, turned the sword's sharp away from him as he held down by his side. His eyes glued to the blade as he made the comment, "A cursed sword, huh?"

"You knew?" the store owner gasped.

"No," Zoro confessed, "I can just tell."

"There's a certain _craving_ coming from the sword," Luffy added. His black eyes stared at the sword.

The store keeper launched into the short story of the cursed Kitetsu swords. Tashigi bowed to Zoro as she apologized. Zoro bent his arm, holding the sword up. He grinned up at it and announced, "I like it! I'll take it."

Luffy grinned in response. The store keeper protested until his wife shut him up by hitting him in the back of the head.

"Then let's do it," Zoro said, "My luck vs this thing's curse…" his eyes hardened with determination. "Let's see which one's stronger." Zoro tossed the sword up into the air. He held out his arm and closed his eyes.

Luffy watched the sword flip end over end going up before it started to flip down. He watched as the sword tip barely missed Zoro's elbow and the back of the sword skimmed the extended arm. The sword buried itself into the floor by Zoro's feet.

"So cool!" Luffy whispered.

Outside, Ruby sat on the edge of the building. She weighted her options of joining the crew. Did she really wanted to work for this Government? She knew if she did, she would have to face the Straw Hats one day. Maybe as a member of CP9 or part of another group wanting to take out the crew. She had another thought. What about Ace?

Ruby thought the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates deserve to live. Even Natasha agreed when Ruby had asked about her thoughts about it, no child should be punished for the sins of the parents. She sighed, still thinking. She had the knowledge of could happen. How could she use that knowledge to benefit the Straw Hats?

Ruby could ask Luffy to expand the crew. She knew some possible new crew mates if Luffy was willingly like a few of the Baroque Works Numbered agents; that girl who helped the crew during Skypia; Paulie, Mozu, and Kiwi besides Franky in Water 7; and Ruby couldn't forget about CP9. She had an idea what happen to them after Enis Lobby and she hoped she could help them out - one assassin to another assassin kind of thing. Maybe even try to get the remaining members of the Whitebeard Pirates to join up after the 2 year time skip.

She also could start planning for the arcs just before the time skip - Sabody Archaploco, Impel Down, and Marineford. She had to figure out a way for the crew to stay together, but allow Kuma send Luffy to Amazon Lily that way the crew had another powerful ally in the War. Maybe even have Rayleigh coat the Thousand Sunny in time to meet up with the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies to head to Marineford, together.

There were so many possibilities. What if Ruby did manage to pull it all together? What will happen after the time skip? What will change? Will the Straw Hats still go to Dressrosa? Ruby thought about it. They will have to. She remembered Law, Captain of the Heart Pirates. He would play a part in during the Marineford aftermath, saving the rubber Captain, but he would demand payment after the time skip - help take down Doflamingo to get revenge for Corzon's death.

Ruby shook her head. That would not happen for another several months. She needed to concentrate about the here and now - Master Qui-Gon said. She smiled. She would face the future, either way, but she would be prepared for it. She would try to better prepare the Straw Hats also in case the worst did happen.

"Ruby." She turned her gaze from the horizon and looked down at her captain and first mate. Zoro had his two new swords on his side and in one hand, he carried the briefcase. In the other hand, he carried another sword. "So, where's the cooking competition at?"

Ruby smiled. Placing a hand on the Straw Hat, she pushed off the roof and fell to the ground. She landed in a crunch, a few feet in front of them.

"Down by the harbor," she replied. "We should hurry. It could be starting any minute." She held out her hand for the briefcase. "So," Ruby eyed the fourth sword Zoro carried, "Zoro, are you going to try to learn Four sword style or that a spare in case one of your new swords breaks?"

"No," Zoro replied, "It's for our second mate." He paused, looking at Ruby with a raised eyebrow.

She threw back her head, and let out a roar of laughter for a second. She snapped her mouth shut and gave Zoro a look, commenting, "That's called bribery!"

"Is it working?" Zoro smirked.

"It only works if the said person needed to be bribed," Ruby smirked with a wink.

"So, that means," Luffy turned to her, "You accept my offer to join as my second mate."

"I'm not saying yes, but I'm not saying no either," Ruby replied, "It's a maybe." She walked toward the harbor with Luffy and Zoro following her.

~Harbor~

The harbor where the cooking competition was being held was packed with people. Fireworks exploded overhead. A red banner stretched between two ships that said 'Cooking in Loguetown Championship'.

A raised stage loomed before the two ships. A red carpet cut the stage in half. In each corner of the stage, a kitchen fully stocked with the latest kitchen appliances. Near the back of the stage, in each corner, there was an open-air pantry. In the center of the back section of the stage, sat the prize fish that cooks were gonna try to win. There was a long table to one side of the stage with five judges, ready to judge the cooks on their skills at the cooking and presentation.

Walking through the crowd, Ruby reached out and grabbed Zoro's wrist. He made a noise of protest and tried to pull away from the red head. She shot him a glare.

"I don't want you getting lost, Zoro," Ruby explained. Luffy snorted. Zoro glared at both of them for suggestion he was the one always getting lost.

"Now, the annual Cooking Championship festivities are about to start," an announcer called out, "We have famous cooks from around the East Blue gathered here!"

"Hey, look!" Luffy said, suddenly, "There is Nami and Usopp!"

Ruby turned to see Nami peering over the crowd to see what was going on. The trio changed directions, heading toward the other two members of the Straw Hat crew.

"What a crowd!" Nami commented, "I wonder what's going on…"

"A Cooking competition, Nami," Ruby replied, coming to a stop beside the other young woman.

"Really?" Nami turned to Ruby, "Wonder if Sanji has heard about it."

Ruby smiled, knowingly.

"This year's prize is an elephant Bluefin tuna!" The announcer continued. "It's a treasure of the ocean and miracle food! Who will earn the 'East Blue's No. 1' title and win the elephant Bluefin tuna?"

The crew walked through the crowd. Nami stopped and pointed toward a tent, saying "Hey! Hold on a sec! Look! Look at that!"

Usopp stepped up beside Nami, "That's Sanji!"

"Well, I guess that answers that question," Ruby commented.

Nami turned to Ruby and snapped, "You knew!"

"What of it?" Ruby asked, "I can't be giving all of my secrets away, now can I." She watched as Sanji was pushed away from a woman with pink hair and a red dress.

"Sanji!" Usopp called. Sanji didn't move from his spot under the tent.

"HEY! SANJI!" Luffy roared. The blond turned around.

Ruby jerked her head to the side before she turned to glare at the Straw Hat caption, muttering, "That was my ear!"

"Nami-san! Ruby-Chan!" Sanji yelled and rushed over to the group, "You came to give me your support!"

"Not really," Nami answered, truthfully, with a grin "I was just passing by."

"I wasn't," Ruby replied, "Wanted to see how to see how you would do in a competition like this."

"But why in the heck are you participating in a competition like this?" Usopp asked.

"Oh, Usopp," Sanji said. He glanced behind Ruby and saw Luffy and Zoro standing with the red head, "Luffy, Moss-head, I didn't realize you were here," the blond cook admitted.

"You should be more mindful of your surroundings, Sanji-kun," Ruby warned, a scolding note in her voice, "You could been of killed."

Sanji sent her a look Yes-I-know as Usopp snapped, "I was the one who called out to you first!"

"Now, it's time to start the championship!" the announcer called out, "These're the judges! Also, to be fair, we asked Sam-san, a member of the general audience on his way home from a wedding party, to join us! Are you ready, Sam-san?"

Ruby noticed the last judge – Sam-san – still looked drunk and looked around with a grin on his face. She snorted.

"Let's GO!" Sam-sam roared with a fist in the air.

"The rules are simple," The announcer continued, "First, each will compete against another. Whoever receives a higher total score from the judges wins. And whoever remains undefeated through all the matches will be the East Blue's glorious No. 1 cook! Well then, we'll now start the first round! The first match is Shoo the Lizard from the easternmost extremity versus Eoccoli, representing Loguetown!" The two named cooks got into the kitchens and waited for the single, "Now, ready…START!" The announcer swung the ladle he held into the underside of a pot. A cheer went up.

Usopp turned his head and asked, "What, Sanji? You're interested in becoming the East Blue's No. 1?"

"Don't be stupid. It' s nothing like that," Sanji replied, "I just want to cook that fish." Sanji's face transformed into a happy expression.

"Fish?" Luffy and Usopp echoed.

"Oh yeah, that fist does look different from others," Nami noted.

"Looks like another stupid fish to me," Zoro finally spoke.

"Though that fish's secrets can't be obtained so easily…" Sanji commented.

The first battle of the cooks came to an end. The next two cooks were announced and the second battle ended. The third battle between the cooks, Sanji's name was called.

"Want me to hold your jacket and tie for ya, Sanji-kun," Ruby asked, second after the blonde's name was called.

"Thank you, Ruby darling," Sanji slipped off his suit coat, undid his tie and handed both to the red head.

"Your welcome," Ruby replied. She slipped the tie around her neck and folded his jacket over her left arm. Sanji started to step away when Ruby reached out and grabbed his elbow. He turned to look at her. She stepped closer and grabbed his chin before she stood up on her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Good luck!"

Sanji's eye transformed into a heart. He cried out, "Thank you, Ruby-swan!" He danced away and entered his 'kitchen', ready to do battle.

The cooking rounds went by fast as they could. Every time Sanji won, the crew cheered.

"And at last, the final match!" the Announcer called out. The crowd went wild, letting out a loud cry.

"Hey, people's really excited," Usopp commented.

"Don't know why this is exciting," Zoro grumbled.

"That's funny," Ruby replied, turning to look at the swordsman. Zoro's eyes held a certain gleam as they met Ruby's eyes. She continued, "Wonder if Sanji would feel the same way if this was a swordsmanship competition?" She paused. "Or are you just being jealous?"

Zoro's cheeks brightened and he muttered, "Don't know what you are talking about."

Ruby's raised an eyebrow as she shot back, "Obviously, you do." She paused again, "Are you jealous that I gave Sanji a good luck kiss?" Zoro coughed slightly. "Aww, you poor thing! Sanji might be my favorite cook, but you are my favorite swordsman." Zoro glared at her.

"With his remarkable cooking sense and skills, Sanji won through to the final," The announcer said. Sanji stood in his 'kitchen' with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a button undone at his collar bone. He calmly smoked a cigarette, waiting for the last round to start. The announcer went on, "With her gorgeous dance and cooking skills, Carmen has kept crushing others." Sanji turned his head to view Carmen. "Which one will win the glorious elephant bluefin tuna?" Sanji waved at Carmen with a love stuck look in his eye. "The anticipated final match starts now!" the sound of the ladle hitting the pot rang out.

Sanji stepped up to the kitchen, slipping into his cooking mode. Carmen, on the other hand, made a show of her cooking skills while her two henchmen tried to throw off Sanji.

"There she goes," The announcer started, "Carmen's cooking looks showy at first glance, but what she's actually doing is quite simple. Also her opponents get confused by those two in front and lose their pace, but how is Sanji doing?" Sanji sliced some fish in half, a knife spun between his hands, "He's not affected!"

Ruby smirked. Nami and Usopp linked hands. Luffy punched the air. Zoro allowed a smirk to cross his lips before he frowned. He muttered into Ruby's ear, "Curly brow could be a decent swordsman if he ever decided to pick up a sword."

"Far from that, he's exhibiting amazing knife skills!" The announcer continued, "Contender Sanji is silently proceeding with the preparation at his own pace!" Sanji appeared to have drift into his own world as he prepared his dish. "Now, it looks like Sanji is starting to finish up! Carmen is also close to the end! Looks like all she has to do now is dish it out! The championship is reaching a climax. Who will win the elephant Bluefin tuna?!" Sanji grabbed a skillet and tossed the meat into the air. "The decision will be made soon." The meat landed on five plates he had set out for the judges. "He did it! Contender Sanji completed it! And here is Contender Carmen! Looks like she's completed it, too! The dishes are all completed now! Who will win the crown!?"

It was not long afterwards when the middle judge got to his feet and said, "Well then, here it goes. The winner of this year's cooking Championship is…San…"

"Wait!" Carmen yelled out. She got up and walked over to Sanji who sat with a slight surprise look on his face, "I can't forgive…I can't forgive… I always wanted to compete against you some day. So, I've trained like crazy! I wanted to be one a level with you…but ten years later, your dream hasn't changed!"

"She was on that cruise ship that Red Leg attacked," Ruby muttered loud enough for the crew to hear, "The same one that Sanji was on."

"I can't forgive myself for being stupid enough to think that I could defeat you," Carmen went on, "You win… Your dishes are delicious. You're the No. 1 cook in the East Blue, Sanji."

Sanji blinked in amazement. Ruby noticed the standing judge put down the piece of paper while Sam-san, the drunk, passed out. She turned her attention back to Sanji.

Sanji stood up, pulling out the cigarette. He opened his arms wide and cried out, "Oh… to think that Carmen-san is giving me such a compliment…" Carmen looked shock, raising her right hand. "I'm so happy!" Sanji cooed.

Carmen's henchman, the one with the egg-shaped head, appeared with a skillet and brought down into Sanji's face, yelling, "Don't you dare!"

Sanji raised his leg before kicking Egg-head away, "What'd you do that for?!"

Ruby giggled as Carmen watched Egg-head flew across the stage and into a pile of plates. Carmen turned to Sanji, stating, "I'll withdraw for now, but be prepared when we meet next time! I definitely won't lose."

"Yeah," Sanji agreed, "If it's a challenge from you, I'll happily accept it any time."

Ruby grinned, brightly as the announcer finished, "The winner is…contender Sanji!"

The crowd exploded in a roar. Sanji bowed to the crowd and went to collect the Elephant Bluefin Tuna he'd won. Ruby glanced toward Nami and Usopp. Her jaw dropped open when she realized a couple things.

"Where the hell are Luffy and Zoro?" She asked, out loud.

Usopp turned around, eyes searching, "They disappeared!"

Nami twisted around before she let out a groan.

"What's wrong?" Sanji asked, walking up with his prize over his shoulder. Ruby caught sight of his upper arms. They arched under the weight of the fish.

"Luffy and Zoro walked away when our backs were turned," Ruby explained, "We have no idea where they disappeared to."

"Lovely," Sanji said.

"Yes, indeed," she agreed.

"Hey, Usopp, hold this," Sanji said before he tossed the crew's sharpshooter the tuna. Usopp let out a noise of protest before he caught the tuna. Sanji unrolled the shelves of his blue dress shirt held out his hand for his suit jacket. Ruby handed it over to him, keeping the tie around her neck. "Well, what's the game plan?" The cook asked, looking at Ruby as he slipped on his suit jacket and redid the top button at his collar bone. Nami and Usopp also turned to Ruby.

"Why are you asking me for?" Ruby questioned, noticing the looks.

"You walked up with those two," Nami stated, "Meaning you had some idea on where they were either going or have been at."

"Plus Luffy wants you to join the crew," Sanji pointed out. He reached for his tie and slipped it from Ruby's neck before he slipped it around his.

"As the second mate," Ruby argued, "I don't think I'm cut out for a position like that."

Sanji, Nami, and Usopp looked surprise for a moment. Ruby saw out of the corner of her eye a green robe figure standing at the corner of a nearby building. She briefly wondered if that was Sabo and why was he there.

"That's unexcepted," Sanji finally commented, "At least for Luffy. But considering your _skills_ , it is actually understandable." He paused. Ruby turned her attention back to the cook. "What are your answer?"

"Maybe," Ruby stated, truthfully, "But when you think about, it is not unexcepted for Luffy. His specialty are fighting and determination like your specialty, Sanji, are cooking and womanizing while Zoro's specialty are swordsmanship and strength," Sanji paused in tying his tie and his face took a thoughtful expression, "Nami – your specialty are Navigation and understanding money," Nami smiled. "Usopp – snipping and being a shitty lair."

"Hey," Usopp protested. Ruby, Nami, and Sanji ignored him.

"You are right," Sanji nodded, "I think you would make a great second mate."

"I agree with Sanji," Nami added her two cents, "And besides, it would be great to have another woman on broad."

"Well, do you want to go back to the Merry and dropped off our stuff or try to find Luffy and Zoro," Ruby asked.

"Let's find Luffy and Zoro before going back to the Merry," Sanji said. He grabbed the tuna from Usopp.

"Luffy still hasn't had the chance to see the execution platform from on top," Ruby smiled, "So, let's head into center of town to find Luffy. Knowing Zoro, he will eventually show up."

~Ruby's Story~

Please drop a review about how I did with this chapter. Also, could you please answer this following question: How do you find your Christmas Spirit?


	8. AN June 2017

Hello, y'all, it's has been a long while. Before you start throwing rotten fruits and veggies at me, let me explain why I haven't posted yet in a couple months.

One, I haven't had internet to do so. Right now, I'm at my work place, off of work for the next few days.

Two, I have been honing my writing craft… to the point where I think it would be best I re-look over what I have written and either toss it out or edit it, to include what I have been learning.

Since the beginning of the year, I have been getting various books on writing, how to write a better story, how to write better characters, etc. Anything to do with writing. Yes, I have been inspired by what I have learned, so I have decided to practiced what I have learned through the many, many, various fan-fiction projects I have been working on, along with the ever-growing First/Prime Galaxy Series. Seriously, I only thought I would be slowly working on the Blue Haired Pirates Books (Which is closer to 40 books), but now, I have at least 20 books ideas dated over 5,000 years before The Blue Haired Pirates takes place….I need to find a way to get rid of all the dust bunnies before they multiple out of my control.

Update? Well, I can't tell when I will be able to update again, right now, but I have not given up on my fanfiction stories, I just need to find time to write it all.

On a side note, which sounds better: First Galaxy or Prime Galaxy? Yeah, they mean the same thing, but I would like to know which sounds better to you?


	9. the Storm of Change

A/N: Yes, I know it has been a long time since I last updated, but I haven't forgotten or given up on this story. So, here is the next chapter of Ruby's Story.

Chapter 6: The Storm of Change

"That was fun," Nami said, an excited look colored her face as she walked away from the harbor, "I don't know why, but today was a day of face-offs."

"Yeah," Ruby agreed, walking beside the orange haired young woman. She glanced over her shoulder to see Usopp struggling with the heavy part of the tuna Sanji had won while Sanji carried the tail over his shoulder.

"Hey, why am I carrying the heavier part?" Usopp shouted back to Sanji. The cook had a dreamy expression. Ruby smiled softly. She knew he was thinking about the different ways to fix the tuna.

"Think about this way, Usopp," Ruby started, "You are getting stronger by carrying the heavy part."

"Really? You think so," Usopp asked. His voice rose slightly in pitch, his eyes widened and he jerked his head to look at Ruby. She nodded.

Nami stopped and tilted her head to the sky with a quizzical expression. Ruby paused, a foot a head of the navigator.

Usopp stopped beside Nami, asking, "What's the matter, Nami?"

"The air has changed," Nami trailed off, sensing something Ruby knew she and the two men could not.

"Air?" Usopp questioned, glancing at the perfect sky.

"It's rain," Nami stated.

"Huh?" When the weather is nice like this?" Usopp protested, looking at the sky with wonder.

Ruby took a lung full of air. She smelt the familiar scent of fresh air that always came with the rain. She exhaled, saying, "She's right. There is fresh air."

"There's no doubt about it. Let's hurry," Nami suggested before she started to walk again, this time at a faster pace.

"Huh," Usopp said, "Hey..."

A strong burst of air rushed through the street. Ruby's hair flew about her head. Her thoughts race. She knew Luffy would be heading toward the center of town where the execution platform was. His enemies – Buggy and Alvinda – would also try to box the straw-hat captain in with Captain Smoker.

~Crystal~

A marine stood in the doorway to the Captain's office. Smoker turned around in his chair as Crystal sat on his lap and gave the messenger his full attention as he spoke, "He showed up?!"

"Yes," the marine replied, "We were watching the square like you told us, and the man on the wanted poster appeared just now…"

"Okay," Smoker said as Crystal slid off his lap, standing up. Smoker followed her example.

The red head smirked, "About damn time." She slipped on her 'Justice' coat and followed Smoker to the Execution Plaza. She hoped her _dearest_ older sister would be there. Crystal still owed Ruby a beating for all those years without having Shanks around. Crystal and Ruby's other sisters or father had not yet been informed on Ruby's return. If everything went as plan, they wouldn't know until after Ruby had been _taken care of._

"Please wait…Captain Smoker! Captain Crystal," Tashigi called out from behind them.

"Come with us, Tashigi," Smoker ordered.

"Yes, sir," She replied.

~Ruby~

Ruby felt a shiver run up her spine, the familiar sixth sense of impending danger danced through her veins, and she smirked in response. Maybe Luffy was not the only one would had an enemy trying to get the upper hand. Now, it was just matter of time when the said enemy would try to strike.

Ruby blinked out of her musing as Nami stopped, pulling out what looked like a compass.

Nami flipped it open and watched as the needle moved. She commented, trying to hide the worry in her voice, "The atmospheric pressure is dropping abnormally." She looked up at the sky, "I've never seen such a bizarre drop before."

Ruby glanced back at Sanji. He nodded. He also caught the worry in Nami's voice.

"Now that you mention it, I feel a strange wind…" Sanji added his two cents in.

"So, we got a bad storm coming in," Ruby said.

"To this island," Nami finished.

"A Storm?" Usopp questioned, rubbing his free hand against a pant leg.

"Alright, then," Ruby started. Her eyes flickered over to Sanji, "Sanji, what do you want us to do?"

"Why are you asking me?" Sanji asked, "I'm not the second mate."

"I haven't join the crew," She argued.

"Yet," He added in.

"You are the third strongest in the crew," Ruby continued like she didn't hear him, "Behind Zoro and Luffy. Usually, the third strongest get the position of second mate."

He commented, "Usually, Luffy gets what he wants, so far, but I think in your case, it's your intelligence that made you second mate."

'I know Luffy usually gets what he wants,' Ruby thought with narrow eyes, pinning the cook with a glare, 'Seen it happen since Zoro joined the crew and every serious crew member that join since then.'

"So, it's your call, second mate," Sanji said.

"It's not my call," Ruby shot back, "Luffy only wants me to join because he is under the impression I'm one of Shanks' daughters."

"Guys," Nami cut in, "This is not the time to be fighting over this matter." She paused, her brown eyes flickering between Ruby and Sanji, taking a deep breath in an effect to calm herself. "We need to warn Luffy and Zoro." She took another breath before she turned to Ruby, "We can argue about this later. Ruby, right now, we are looking toward you for orders, like it or not."

Ruby let out a soft growl escape her lips before she exhaled sharply. She nodded, "This time only – unless I join the crew, which I haven't made a decision about it yet." She paused. Her blue eyes flickered over the trio.

She opened her mouth, "Usopp, Nami, head back to the Merry. Get her ready to set sail, but prepare to run into an enemy crew or the Marines. If the seas get too rough to stay in port, get out to sea. Here, take this with you. I'll be back for it." Ruby handed Nami the briefcase that held the prize money that Ruby won for the idol competition as she tried to remember if the Straw-Hats originally had to leave port during the process of leaving Loguetown or not. It didn't matter, now.

"Luffy will be able to get us back to the ship if you two have to leave port." Nami and Usopp nodded. "Sanji," the red-head turned to the cook. He shoved all the tuna's weight onto Usopp who let out a startled cry. "You are with me. We need to get to the execution platform in the middle of town. Luffy will be there with a boat load of trouble." She shot a look toward the sky. "Be careful. This storm will be a bad one."

Ruby spun around on her heel, breaking out into a spirit. She caught sight of a dark robe figure standing in the shadows of a building, watching them. If she didn't have Natasha's training, she would have missed the figure. Sanji dashed on her right, but he slid to a stop. Ruby, automatically, came to a stop. She blinked.

Zoro scratched his head, looking at them puzzled. He looked at them, "Have you seen Luffy?"

"Not yet," Ruby stated, "We have to find him. We got a major storm moving in."

"Maybe that is the strange feeling I've been having," Zoro mused. The Straw-Hat crew, minus the Captain, and Ruby saw dark clouds move over the city.

"We gotta get moving now," Ruby ordered. She broke into a dash. She sensed Sanji fall in on her left while Zoro stepped up on her right.

"Pirates are here!" they heard some people cried out with horror.

"It's Buggy the Clown!" another yelled.

"Looks like Nami owes me some money," Ruby smirked. The two men let out a chuckle.

~Crystal~

Crystal followed Smoker to the staircase. The plan was to station Marines in the buildings surrounding the Excetion plaza until it was the correct time to attack. A Marine stopped them.

"What?" Smoker said, "Then…"

"Yes," the marine said, "In addition to Staw-Hat Luffy, Buggy the Clown and Iron Club Alvida, all notorious pirates in the East Blue, are taking over the square!"

"Right under our noses," Crystal growled, "Those bastards!"

"Impudent jerks," Smoker added.

"What should we do, Captain?" the Marine asked.

"Send Unit 1 to the sea," Smoker ordered, "Unit 2 is to secretly surround the square from the streets and have the rest stand by within shooting rang of the square. That's all."

"Yes, sir."

"Give this order to Unit 1," Crystal added.

"Yes, Ma'am," The Marine paused.

"Crush any pirate ships as soon as they see them. Don't let any pirates off of this island. Not even one pirate," Crystal ordered. She continued walking up the stairs.

~Ruby~

Ruby cursed as she realized the trio would have to fight their way through the crowd running toward them.

"RUBY!" someone yelled. She turned her gaze toward the person. The dark robe figure held up a black gloved hand, waving at her. She spotted the blue pants the figure wore. She smirked. She was not expecting Sabo's help.

"Zoro, Sanji, this way," Ruby called out, heading toward Sabo. She kept her gaze moving between Zoro, Sanji, and Sabo, trying not lose them in the crowd.

"There is going to be an execution!"

"Buggy the Clown is gonna execute Straw-Hat Luffy!"

The wind picked up as Ruby made it over to Sabo. She glanced back and saw Zoro and Sanji step into the alleyway. The skies darken. She turned to Sabo.

"So, why did you call us over?" She asked.

"To help you, of course," Sabo replied, "My boss has granted me an extended leave of absence, so I'm taking my vacation, traveling with the Straw-Hat Pirates until my boss requests my presence again."

There was something else that was not being said. Ruby knew that for a fact. Maybe Sabo informed Dragon of Ruby's encounter with the blond ex-nobleman and Dragon figured out Ruby knew more then she should so he sent Sabo to keep an eye on her while keeping an eye on his son at the same time.

"Oh?" Zoro asked.

Ruby blinked and introduced the three men to each other, "Sabo, this is Zoro and Sanji. Guys, this is Sabo. Lost story short, Sabo doesn't have his memories pior to 11 years old. Luffy is one key to unlocking Sabo's memories." Zoro and Sanji raised an eyebrow at Ruby. She stared at them for a moment. "We got stop Luffy's execution, right?"

"Yeah," the two Straw-Hat men said.

"Since the street is still crowded," Sabo started, not taking off his hood, "So, we are taking the roof tops."

He spun around, his robe flying out, and he dashed up a pile of boxes. Ruby followed him. She paused, briefly, to see if Zoro and Sanji followed them. Sanji was on her heels before she stepped onto the roof top. Zoro appeared a second later.

The four of them spirited over the roof tops, heading to the Execution Plaza to save Luffy.

~Cyrstal~

"Captains," A marine said in a low voice, "Please come here. Things are getting weird."

Smoker looked through the binoculars at the platform before he handed them to Crystal. She brought them to her eyes and stared at the big red nose clown.

'So, that is Buggy the Clown,' she thought, 'I thought he would be…more dangerous.' She had grown up, listening to Shanks' tales of his adventures with Buggy on aboard of the Oro Jackson.

"What is that kid doing?" Smoker asked.

"Monkey D. Luffy. This can't be! Looks like he's about to be killed!" Tashigi stated with surprise.

Crystal thought about it. Shanks' prized Straw-Hat, the same one he never let any of the girls touched, sat upon Luffy's head. Buggy was gonna try to kill Luffy.

"No," Crystal stated, "It can't be. Surely, he wouldn't try…"

"What?" Tashigi asked as Smoker turned to her.

"This is not an execution," Crystal stated, "This is a Nomination!" she paused, glancing at Luffy, "My father is Red-Haired Shanks, one of the four Pirate Emperors. He lived aboard the Ora Jackson, severing under the Pirate King as a cabin-boy. Buggy the Clown, also, lived on the Ora Jackson, working next to my father as a cabin-boy."

She licked her lips. "My father gave that Luffy his prized hat, the same one Roger wore when he first started out. He thinks Luffy can be the next King of the Pirates. Now, Buggy is trying to kill Luffy on the same platform where Roger died," Crystal stared at the Straw-Hat Captain, "I don't know if Buggy is aware of this or not, but he is also nominating Luffy to be the Next King."

Smoker didn't say anything.

"Captain, are we swooping in right away?"

"No," Crystal answered, "Let's see how this plays out before we make our move."

Lightening flashed through the sky.

~Nami & Usopp~

"I saw a big cumulus cloud in the eastern sky," Nami said as she ran through the empty streets. Usopp followed her with a frown on his face and a panic look in his eyes. "A Storm is coming. An unimaginable big storm is..." She trailed off, panting, "If Buggy, Luffy, and the others go crazy, the Navy will come out. We're done for if the ship is washed out to sea when we have to get out of here."

"Maybe that's why Ruby ordered us out to sea," Usopp panted, "Maybe she knew how big this storm is and is taking precautions."

"Perhaps," Nami agreed, licking her lips, "But the Navy may have already start taking action. The Going Merry is in danger."

"The Going Merry will be in the Navy's hands?!" Usopp cried out. His shoulders stiffened as his eyes widen. He sped up, "Hey Nami! Hurry up!"

"Wait for me!" Nami cried out. Her voice rose in pitch, stumbling slightly at Usopp's increased pace as she ran faster after Usopp.

~Ruby~

Ruby ducked her head as lightening flashed and thunder rolled above. She glanced down at the streets.

"The Streets are clear," Ruby noted.

"Let's stay up here for a few more streets," Sabo suggested, "There are still less objects to deal with up here, then down there."

"Like what?" Sanji asked, looking at the revultionary.

"Marines," the blond ex-nobleman said. Thunderous footsteps caused the four to slid to a stop at the edge of a building. Ruby peered over the edge and saw a large squad running down a street, heading toward the harbor.

"Well, the marines are pulling out all the stops, today," Zoro mused.

"This could be bad for my sweet Nami," Sanji commented, giving a sidelong glance as he kept his head still toward the harbor.

"Remember, I told Nami and Usopp to head out to sea if things got to rough for them," Ruby said, looking at the cook, trying to reassure him, "And besides, Nami is a skilled navigator." She gave him a grin.

"Plus, my partner," Sabo added in, "Is keeping an eye on them until they do leave port."

Ruby turned to Sabo, "Thanks."

"I'll pass it onto my boss the next time I see him," Sabo said. A smirk pulled at his lips.

Ruby's eyes widened and she lifted an eyebrow before they narrowed, thoughtful, a knot forming in her stomach. The wind started to pick up more as the four dashed over the building's tops. Ruby saw the platform and put on a burst of speed, panting. The three men followed her example.

"I'M THE MAN WHO'LL BE KING OF THE PIRATES!" Luffy roared. It echoed through the empty streets. The wind died before it whistled through the buildings.

"He's still alive," Zoro said, puffing out his chest.

Sanji smirked, his movement becoming fluid.

"Yeah," Sabo agreed, nodding slowly.

"Not for long if we don't do something about it, soon," Ruby commented, dumping a dost of reality on the swordsman and the cook.

Zoro, Sanji, Ruby, and Sabo reached the plaza, sliding to a stop near the edge of a roof top. Ruby took in what was happening – Buggy started to raise his sword above Luffy's head, The Buggy Pirates held civilians at gun point, Marines stood around the plaza and in the nearby building watching.

"Stop…" Zoro called out.

"…the execution!" The four new comers yelled.

"Zoro! Ruby! Sanji!" Luffy yelled out.

~Crystal~

"Zoro!" Tashigi gasped.

"Ruby, you bitch," Crystal growled.

~Ruby~

"Shame on you!" Zoro started, standing with his shoulders back, his chest out, and his chin held high as he tied the bandanna around his head. "There's a limit to how much you can fool around, Luffy."

"If you're starting a sideshow, let me join you," Sanji said, giving a relaxed appearence, calmly, "What we have to do for now is drove those damn pirates away?"

"Yup," Ruby said,a playful grin spreading across her lips, "Far as I know the only two that has devil fruit powers is Alvida and Big Red Nose Buffon up there." She reached into a pocket and pulled out a pair of black gloves with a red hourglass on the back of them.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST CALL ME, GIRLY!?" Buggy roared.

"Who's Alvida?" Zoro asked, a frown pulling at his lips, glancing at Ruby.

"Can't miss her," Ruby quipped, "She's the one wearing a binki top." She rolled her shoulders.

"Yeah, She used to be fat then ate the Slip-Slip Devil Fruit," Sabo gave more information, "She's a really beauty now."

"P-Pirate Hunter Zoro!" Someone yelled before the civilian crowd parted, leaving a clear pathway to the Buggy pirates.

"Sanji! Zoro! Ruby!" Luffy called out with glee, a mile wide grin split his face.

"So, you're here, Zoro!" Buggy started.

"Are we gonna jump down now or wait for them to try to attack us," Sabo asked.

"Good question," Ruby mused. She looked over at Zoro and Sanji, "What do you think?"

"It was your idea to follow this Sabo guy," Sanji shrugged, "It's your call, second mate."

Ruby groaned. Sabo snickered, his shoulders shaking.

"Oh," Zoro said, interested, "So, you finally accepted the position."

"Not yet," Ruby stated before she turned to Sabo, snapping, "And why are you laughing? Have you been following us all damn day?"

"STOP IGNORING ME!" Buggy yelled.

The four of them turned to look at Buggy.

"Perhaps," Sabo admitted, "Not many people in the East Blue are aware of which organization I represent, had to make sure you weren't a conflicting interest." He paused, glancing at the red head before he smirked, "Though I do admit, you dodging the answer to Captain Luffy's question has been most amusing."

"I get the feeling when you do get your memories back," Ruby drawled as she frowned, "You will be rolling on the floor, laughing at me." She glared at the revolutionary before she walked off the roof top, landing in a crunch. She sensed the other three land next to her.

~Crystal~

Crystal stared at Ruby. There was something different about her. She held up the binoculars, watching as Ruby landed on the ground.

Ruby's eyes held conflicting emotions – determine, uncertainly, and knowledge. Her face, however, didn't express those emotions. It relaxed on an expression that Ruby had faced these kinds of situations every day and for her, it would be a walk in the park.

~Ruby~

Buggy raised his sword higher, above his head.

Narrowing her eyes in determination, Ruby darted forward, hands reaching under her jacket and pulling out a pair of guns. Sabo pulled out his pipe. Zoro, already drawn his swords, dashed forward. Sanji was on their heels.

"We'll bring down…" Zoro started.

"…that execution platform," Sanji finished.

Ruby raised one gun up, aimed at Buggy's hands, and she squeezed the trigger. The gun shot echoed through the silent plaza. The bullet flew and pieced Buggy's hands. Buggy's mouth widened, letting out a howl of pain as his eyes bugged. Ruby smirked, her eyes flashing with a prideful gleam.

Zoro spirited through the path the civilians created. Sanji and Ruby hot on his heels while Sabo brought up the rear.

Alvida rose her arm and ordered, "Guys…get them!"

"We'll get them!" A Buggy Pirate replied as they charged at the quartet, "Big sis Alvida!"

Ruby watched out of the corner of her eye as the civilians fled the plaza. She knew the only reason why Buggy hadn't come after her himself because his devil fruit hadn't allowed it. She remembered during the Impel Down Arc where Luffy broke into the underwater prison to save Ace, Buggy had made a reappearance and there was a short explanation of the limitations of his Devil Fruit Powers.

Ruby swung her arms, pulling slightly ahead of Zoro. Her legs pumped until she ran without restraints. Feet away from the Buggy Pirates, she jumped into the air, raising her legs up. One of the Buggy Pirates couldn't dodge Ruby's feet and flew backwards into two more pirates as Ruby kicked him hard.

She landed onto her feet before her knees buckled. She rolled under another pirate, kicking out a leg, sending him down. The gun in her right hand chocked out a burst of flames. The pirate stayed down. Raising to her left leg, Ruby's right leg sweeping out in a wide arc, knocking another pirate to the ground, a second before the gun spat out another round. Blood sprayed the air as the bullet disappeared into the pirate's left shoulder.

"Out of our way!" Zoro cried out, swords slicing through the Buggy Pirates. He stepped out of the way as a Buggy Pirate tried to slice him in half and returned the gesture.

Sanji side-stepped a swordsman pirate and his right leg slammed down into the back of the swordsman's skull. He flipped onto his hands, spinning around, kicking the Buggy Pirates to the ground hard.

Sabo swung his pipe around, sending two of the charging Buggy Pirates airborne. He planted one end of the pipe on the ground before he jumped, raising his right leg up, sending another Buggy Pirates.

Ruby, pausing briefly to watch, whistled. Her eyes followed the two airborne pirates as they disappeared into the scattering crowd of civilians.

"Behind you, Red," Sabo called out at the same time Ruby sensed a dangerous presence rushing up on her left blind spot. She snapped her left fist up. Pain exploded in her knuckles as she back-punched a Buggy Pirate, hard enough to knock him out. She hissed in pain. She twisted around before she ducked below a sloppy sword swing. She slipped her gun back into her waistband before her hand curled into a fist. She jumped upward, driving her fist into the bottom side of a Buggy Pirate's jaw. It closed with a re-sounding snap.

Ruby turned to the next Buggy Pirate.

~Crystal~

'Where in the Grand Line did you vanished to, Ruby, 13 years ago?' Cyrstal wondered, 'More importantly, how did Ruby learned that?' Her blue eyes followed her sister as Ruby launched herself at the nearest Buggy Pirate, climbed onto the pirate's shoulders and wrapped her legs around the pirate's neck before she flipped over his head. The older sister managed to slip in between the blonde's strong kicks, landing on her gloved hands before she rolled onto her back while the Buggy pirate got hit in the mid-section and flew back, out of sight.

"She's a skilled fighter," Crystal heard her boyfriend mused, "Too bad, she's a pirate."

"How did she learn those moves," Tashigi asked, "She's so fast."

"The way she fights, no move is not wasted," Crystal remembered the training she took for a year before she met Smoker, back when she was 15, she had considered joining the secret Ciphor Pol agency. She had trained with a group known as CP9.

While Ruby's techniques and CP9's were largely different, they did share one thing in common – they didn't waste energy. "Ruby's been training as an assassin," Crystal's eyes widen as the words left her lips, shocked.

"Who trained her," Smoker asked, "Most agencies I am aware of wouldn't let a highly skilled assassin like her go without a fight," He glanced down at Crystal, "You said she's been gone for 13 years," Crystal nodded, "So, you wouldn't know who would've trained her."

"No," Crystal replied, even though it was not a question.

"Listen," Smoker started, "The moment Monkey D. Luffy's head falls, we'll attack all together. All units, get ready for battle."

~Ruby~

Ruby heard Buggy cried out with glee, "Not even Zoro can stop me now!" She turned around and saw Buggy raise his sword over his head. "This is the end of your captain!" Luffy's face colored in surprise.

"Damn bastard!" Sanji growled.

Ruby scowled. She grabbed her guns and aimed at Buggy, emptying the clips, trying to knock the sword out of his hands. The clown pirate, expecting something like this to happen, fell to parts before a dismembered hand flew up and swung the sword down toward Luffy's neck.

"Zoro! Sanji! Ruby! Usopp! Nami!" Luffy yelled out, "Sorry. I'm…dead." Luffy grinned, brightly. His eyes were closed.

'Come on, Dragon, bring the lightening,' Ruby prayed, 'If you don't, Ace will toast us alive.'

Ruby's arms hung by her sides as she waited, watching as the sword made a loud slicing noise. Sabo took a step back. Ruby turned her head to see the Chief of Staff reach up to his head.

"Ba-" Zoro started, spinning around.

"Don't say something so stupid!" Sanji yelled, eye widening with horror.

"He smiled!" Smoker exclaimed. Crystal paled, remembering her father's stories about Roger's smile before he died.

A streak of blue lightening ran down from the sky, hitting the execution platform with an ear ringing roar. The historical platform erupted into blue flames. Rain started to pour from the sky as the marines, pirates, and civilians watched as a straw hat floated down from the sky to land on the ground.

Luffy bent over and grabbed his Straw-hat before he laughed, "I'm still alive after all. I got lucky."

Ruby gave a sideways grin, her shoulders relaxing. She glanced around. The Buggy Pirates stared at Luffy with horror. Zoro pulled the Wado out of his mouth. Sabo pushed back his hood, glancing at the sky, before he replaced it.. Sanji's lips parted as he tried to come up with words, his cigarette falling to the rain soaked ground. He turned to Ruby, Zoro, and Sabo.

"H-hey, do you believe in god?" He stammered in a disbelieving tone, sounding breathless.

"I know one too many that were jerk-offs," Ruby admitted, thinking of Loki. Sanji sent her a confused look. She shrugged with a secretive grin.

"Phew, lucky me, I was worried what was going happen for a while," Luffy said, coming up to the quartet. He looked at Ruby and asked, "Are you going to join my crew, Ruby? Who is this?

"There are a few conditions I would like you to agree with," she met Luffy's eyes, "But we can discuss them back on the Merry. He's one of the conditions I would like you to meet if you don't mind, of course."

"Stop talking nonsense," Zoro replied to Sanji, "Let's get out of this town already." He glanced toward where the Marines were hiding, "Another trouble seems to be brewing."

"Yeah," Ruby agreed, "They are gonna attack, any second now."

"Well, what are we waiting for," Sabo said. He spun around, "Where's your ship docked?"

"Well," Ruby said, "Merry should be at sea already with our other two crewmates, S."

A battle cry rang out as the Marines rushed into the plaza, trying to surround the pirates.

"Here they come!" Sanji called out.

"Tsk," Zoro said, slipping his swords away.

Ruby watched as the Marines rushed at the Buggy Pirates, engaging them in one-on-one sword fights.

"Let's get out of here while the Marines are busy," Sabo said, before he moved through the chaos, heading to the street that would led them to the harbor. Ruby made to move after the hooded blonde, but she remembered she would have to wait for Luffy, first. That would take some time to use to that, again – following someone's else orders instead of her own.

"Amazing!" Luffy sidestepped a Buggy Pirate as he was thrown toward him. "Amazing! It's somehow gotten crazy." He continued to dance side to side as another Buggy Pirate was forced back.

"Hey, Luffy," Zoro reached out and curled his fingers into the collar of Luffy's red vest.

"Ahh, Zoro," Luffy gave a startled cry before he turned his head.

"This is no time to be excited! We need to get out of here," Zoro said.

"We'd better hurry back to the ship," Sanji added in, "Or we'll never be able to leave the island."

"This storm could get worst, yet," Ruby commented, glancing up toward the still darkening clouds.

"We won't be able to enter the Grand Line," Sanji hinted.

"What?" Luffy exclaimed, eyes widen with worry, "That's not good."

Ruby rolled her eyes before she darted off after Sabo. She sensed Sanji running after her. She didn't need to look over her shoulder to Luffy and Zoro doing the same as Luffy quickly overtook her, taking the lead.

"The Straw Hat gang is running away!" A marine roared.

"Capture them!" Another marine yelled.

"Go after them!" A third shouted.

A small squad of marines tried blocking their path. Sanji lifted his leg delivering a sharp snap kick to a marine's jaw, sending him flying back. A second marine was hit in the process of Sanji's attack.

A trio of marines rushed at the green haired swordsman. Zoro drew his swords in a quick fluid motion. He swung the swords at his opponents. The trio fell to the ground, nursing bloody cuts.

Two marines attacked Luffy. Luffy sent a barrage of punches, using his devil fruit ability.

A single marine rushed at Ruby. She blinked. She felt insulted by the lone fighter. She slipped to a stop, crunching down. Her right hand curling into a fist at her side. A whistling sound alerted her to something else incoming. She fell backwards onto her rear in an effect to dodge. A metal pipe appeared in a wide arc from behind the marine. It connected with the back of the marine's head.

Ruby stared up at the Marine as his eyes rolled up into his head. He fell toward her. She slapped her hands behind her onto the ground, planted her left foot onto the wet stone street and rose on the three limbs before she snapped the marine with her right leg in the side, sending him across the street.

Sitting on the ground, she turned to glare at Sabo. She noticed the smirk on his lips and his extended arm. She reached up and grabbed the arm. She pulled herself up to her feet, saying, "I had it."

"I'm sure you did," Sabo agreed. His lips twitched into a smirk.

"Come one, you two," Zoro shouted. He slipped his swords away and ran down the street. Luffy and Sanji followed after him. Ruby spirited after the trio with Sabo on her heels.

~Crystal~

Crystal watched her boyfriend from the corner of her eye. He seemed off like he had witnessed something he had seen once before.

"Hey," Smoker said, "have you seen any pirates who smiled on the execution platform?"

Thunder boomed overheard.

"No way," A low ranked marine replied, "Even if it's a brave-acting big shot, at the moment of death, he turns pale and dies in despair."

"That Straw hat man smiled…" Smoker paused, "Just like Gold Roger, King of the Pirates, smiled 22 years ago in this town… on that execution platform..." Smoker's eyes glazed over with a memory.

Crystal knew what Smoker was talking about. Shanks had been there that day when Roger died.

"Captains," the marine spoke, but trailed off.

"Where did that Straw Hat go?" Smoker demanded.

"To the sea," Crystal replied, already knowing. She looked at Smoker, "I will go and try to capture Ruby before she leaves with the Straw Hat pirates, heading to the Grand Line."

"I will capture Zoro," Tashigi growled.

"I will go after Straw Hat," Smoker stated.

~Ruby~

"We'd better hurry or we'll be in trouble," Sanji stated, running after Luffy.

"We're gonna make it to the Grand Line like this," Luffy bounced ahead of the quartet.

Ruby swung her arms back and forth. Her legs pumped beneath her. She strained her ears, trying to listen for Smoker's weird-ass motorcycle. She knew Luffy would have to fight Smoker before they left Loguetown. Zoro would have to square off with Tashigi, too. Would she have to fight Crystal before leaving? It would make sense, considering Crystal was a marine and already out for Ruby's blood for the younger sister's upbringing.

Meanwhile, on board the Moby Dick, Emerald sighed as she nodded at a member of her division. It had been a couple days since Thatch's mysterious death. She looked down at the clipboard. There was a list of names in the second division, four of them didn't have a check mark next to the name. It meant nobody knew where that member of the division was during the night Thatch had died. Also, it meant Ace and Emerald would have to ask personally where the four were at during the night before Thatch was discovered.

Emerald's eyes picked one name – Marshall D. Teach – and a memory floated to the forefront of her mind.

" _No, Emerald," Shanks roared. They were in the captain's quarters aboard the Red Force, "I won't allow you to join the same crew as that monster!"_

 _Emerald felt a rush of anger flare through her veins at that statement. Words trembled fell from her lips._ _"So, now, after all the stories you told us while growing up about Whitebeard and his family you calling him a monster?" A mocking laugh left Emerald, "That's rich, old man."_

" _Not Whitebeard," Shanks glared, "One of his boys – Marshall D. Teach." He paused, allowing the information to seek in, "He did this to me." He pointed at the scars over his left eye._

Emerald's mind drifted to a younger memory –

 _Emerald set by the front window, watching the sparking sea. It had been nearly two months since Ruby had disappeared, a month and half since her father went to sea._

 _An explosion rocked the house. Emerald gasped as a house nearly erupted into flames. She dimly heard her sister rush over, followed by her mother. Screams echoed through the streets as the flames spread, cannons fired, and more houses got on fire._

 _The front door burst inward. The sisters and mother spun around. Emerald watched as her mother grabbed the broom and twirled it around her hand before holding it across her body._

" _Whoa," Emerald gapped. Her sisters voiced their amazements._

 _A man stepped into view with his black to them. Emerald_ _'s mother stepped forwarded and swung the broom portion at the man. The man twisted around and grabbed the pole above the brushes. Both froze._

" _Ben!" Emerald's mother exclaimed with shock, "You guys usually send word you were coming back."_

" _It's Shanks," Ben stated. He glanced at Emerald and the sisters. "he's been injured."_

" _Ben! Out of the way!" Someone yelled. Ben stepped closer to Emerald's mother in time to avoice getting run over. One of the Red Hair pirates rushed in, carrying a stretcher with a red hair curled up in the center. The form had both hands covering his face, howling in pain._

 _Emerald froze. She heard more yelling. The stretcher disappeared upstairs. Someone pushed her back._

Emerald didn't remember much after that, except the waiting, the fighting outside, and the sound of someone screaming in pain and anger while someone else – perhaps her mother – sobbed.

" _Daddy, who did this to you?" Emerald asked, giving puppy eyes to Shanks._

" _Another pirate," he admitted. A bandage unwrapped around his head, covering his eye._

" _What's his name," Crystal demanded. For the longest moment, Shanks didn't say anything._

" _You girls are too young to get revenge on your daddy's part," he replied, "I won't tell you the pirate's name or crew he's apart unless you either discovered the truth for yourself or your try to join his crew then I will tell you."_

Emerald froze, staring at the deck. She remembered the look Teach had in his eyes when Thatch boarded with that blasted devil fruit, the feeling she got around the larger man, the comments – highly suggestive and degrading – she had endured and the looks he gave her. He was a brilliant actor – if he was the culprit. If he was not the killer, he better have a damn good reason why he hadn't been seen since the evening before Thatch's murder.

~Ruby's Story~

Reviews:

Squirpsdolphin: Thank you for the Review

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as well as Emerald's subplot about Thatch's death and Teach's betrayal. See ya next time!


	10. Escaping Loguetown

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. I just own Ruby and her sisters. I also play with the One Piece Characters. Please Enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 7: Escaping Loguetown

Ruby's feet thudded on the soaked, cobblestone streets as the crew ran from the marines. Each stride was an effect. Her blue jeans were soaked and heavy, threatening to slip down her hips. They restricted her movements.

'I should have worn my suit,' the thought drifted in her mind. Her suit was similar Natasha's black uniform she wore on missions. She usually also had it at the ready, but she had left it at her dorms, thinking she had always just enough time to run back, change into the skintight outfit before SHIELD came and got her. Now, she regretted not shoving it into her backpack before she had left for class the other day. It didn't matter now.

Ruby had to focus on both running away and listening for Smoker's weird motorcycle. Maybe she could try to lead the boys down a side road, avoiding the fights with the Marines. She knew they would run into Tashigi, first and Zoro would face her in a short, one-sided sword fight.

Unless they changed their path, they would run into the Marines on this street.

A smirk pulled at Ruby's lips as she ran her over the street. A stack of boxes stood beside a nearby building. She opened her mouth to tell Luffy to climb the boxes when Zoro cut her off, "What's with this all rain?"

"Nami was right about this storm," Sanji commented, "If we don't get back to the ship and set sail, we will be stick here for good."

"Run!" Luffy cried out, "Just run!"

Sabo ran beside Luffy, laughing. Ruby didn't need to be running in front of the ex-nobleman to know he had a mile-wide grin on his face and his dark eyes glowed with excitement and the sense of adventure, just like Luffy.

"Guys, let's get on the rooftops," Ruby rose her voice in a yell to be heard, "It could be faster!"

"What an excellent idea, Ruby-swan," Sanji cooed.

Sabo sped ahead and soared up the stack of boxes. Ruby felt a burst of jealously before she spotted Luffy stretch his arm up the roof. Zoro jumped up one top of the first box before he half-turned, extending his hand down to Ruby. She grabbed it in a tight grip and hauled herself up. She sent him a grateful smile before she bounded up the rest of the boxes. She sensed Zoro was right behind her with Sanji bringing up the rear.

Luffy and Sabo stood on top of the roof, waiting for the rest of them. Silently, Sabo took the led as the group dashed over the rooftops and leaped over the alleyways.

Nami gasped for breath as her feet splash through puddles of water. The storm rolled upon the island so fast, she knew it was not normal. A storm usually takes a few hours, not a few minutes to approach an island. The wind tore at her soaked clothes, chilling her to the bone.

Usopp wheezed as he kept pace with the Navigator. However, the weight of the Elephant tuna seemed to get heavier as he ran. He managed to catch enough breath to complain about the fish, "Nami, this is heavy!"

"The Going Merry is in danger!" Nami yelled, knowing how he felt. The bags of purchases items she gotten earlier, and Ruby's briefcase seem to get heavier with each step. However, she knew she couldn't toss the items to the side. Ruby had trusted her with her winnings from the singing competition. Plus, the clothes that Nami got was not just for her, but she had managed to get Ruby's sizes and planned to surprise the older woman with some new clothes. "The Marines may already be there! We have to get back to the ship, as soon as possible, Usopp. Come on!" She yelled over her shoulder to Usopp.

"Nami!" Usopp's voice took on a whinnying tone, "Can't we just ditch this thing!?"

"NO!"

"I was afraid you were going to say that," he admitted as he managed to keep with her increased pace.

Standing beside the Going Merry, with the rain pouring over her, Koala muttered a curse as she tossed her bag over the side of the railing, followed by Sabo's bag. She pushed a strand of her honey-blond hair and grabbed the ladder. She placed a foot on the bottom rang, pulled herself up the ladder and swung her leg over the railing before she planted both feet on the deck. She lend against the railing for a breather, looking around.

The last time she had been on a pirate, she had traveled with the Fishman Pirates with Fisher Tiger as the Captain. She smiled fondly before she frowned, remembering what had happen to Tiger afterword. She shook her head and pushed away from the railing. She bent down and grabbed her and Sabo's bags before she walked toward the galley. She opened the door and sighed as she felt the warmth wash over her. She set the bags on the table.

It would not be long until the rest of the crew showed up with Sabo, Koala mused. Her brown eyes roamed over the up-to-date style kitchen and noticed the state of the pots and pans. At least the crew had decent cook. That meant there would be decent food, too. She just hoped the cook could keep up with the demand of Sabo's appetite or Sabo and her might be tossed off the ship before they could get to the Grand Line.

Koala still couldn't believe that new red head - Ruby? Rose? Rosalie? It didn't matter right now. She would figure that out when she faced the woman - didn't know she was one of the Pirate Emperor, Shanks, daughters and claiming she didn't have her memories. The revolutionary woman thought it was highly specious that the eldest daughter appeared at the same time Dragon expressed an urge to visit Loguetown, for unknown reasons, when there was so much to do in the West and North Blues. Her leader also ordered her to take a vacation with Sabo. Not to mention, Sabo wanted to travel with these pirates. It didn't make sense.

There was more going on than Koala was aware of.

Koala heard something outside. She went to the kitchen door and peered through the porthole to see a man with a weird hairstyle and a lion with a purple mane. She blinked in surprise. They did look familiar.

"Those two are not a part of the crew," she muttered, her breath frogging up the window, "And if I remember correctly, are those two apart of the Buggy Pirates, right?"

She watched as they did some sort of dance before they hurried over to the side of the ship. Koala grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, stepping out and shutting the door behind her. She couldn't hear what the duo were saying as she walked down the stairs and peered over the railing. She saw the man holding a box of…was that matches? She let out a soft chuckle.

It didn't take a genius to know nothing short of Fire Fist Ace or Red Dog Akinu was going catch anything on fire during this storm that her boss managed to summon.

She sensed two more people approaching, fast. She glanced up and saw an orange haired young woman and a long nosed black haired fellow stop on the slope leading down to the ship. She sent them a smile before she pointed down to the lion and the man and brought her index to the side of her head and created a circle with it, indicating they were crazy. She thought she saw the woman smile in amusement before her expression went serious.

Nami panted as she stared at the scene in front of her. Richie and Moji were kneeling beside the ship. Damn it, Ruby was right, the Buggy Pirates did show up and Nami now owe the other woman some money. She would worry about that later. Her brown eyes locked with the honey-brown haired woman standing on the ship, lending against the railing. She watched the woman motioned the two Buggy Pirates were crazy…for some reason. She smirked in amusement before she approached the problem the two Buggy Pirates presented.

"Hey!" she called out, "Get away from our ship!"

Moji and Richie jerked from what they were doing, startled. She saw recognition fly across Moji's face and he stood straight, in a prose. He opened his mouth to say something when he was cut off.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" a shout echoed from behind them.

Nami and Usopp turned half way and gasped in surprise. They had managed to beat the Marines back to the Going Merry, but the Marines were right behind them. Nami saw the first two lines of Marines bringing up their rifles, aimed at them and the Going Merry. She let out a terrified gasp before she took a shallow breath then two normal breaths before a deep breath. She twisted back to the ship and giving it all she had, she broke out into a mad dash. Usopp was right beside her.

A motorcycle roar through the empty streets. She glanced down over the edge of the building. The street was clear, but she knew it wouldn't be for long. She glanced down the street where the roaring sound echoed from. The source zoomed into view. Her eyes widen in surprise and she gasped. She turned to the men and hissed, "Get down!" as she planted her foot, causing it to skid across the rooftop, nearly landing on her ass.

Zoro crunched down beside her. She glanced at him just long enough to register, mentally, to know who he was before she ran her eyes over the others. Sanji held the collar of Luffy's vest as the Captain pouted. Sabo, however, knelt on her right. He also peered over the edge of the roof.

Smoker sat on top of his motorcycle. A determined look colored his expression. From how he gripped the handles, Ruby knew, the man was tensed. However, his eyes stared ahead.

Behind the Marine Captain, Crystal had shredded her Marine coat, leaving her in a navy-blue vest and dark blue tight pants. Over one shoulder, she had a quiver and a bow.

Sitting on one of the covered wheels, Tashigi's face was set in a determined, angry expression. Ruby knew the swordswoman was highly upset that Zoro didn't introduced himself when they met.

Ruby heard Sabo muttered a curse. She sent him a questioning look. He saw and lend in toward Ruby's ear, whispering in a low voice, "That red head is known as the Exploding Crystal."

She gave him a look before she commented, "I'm afraid to know why Crystal is known as that."

"The arrows she uses has an explosive tip," Sabo said. Ruby blinked before she frowned, hiding the fact she was impressed, but annoyed that she was facing female version of Clint. Her mind went into overdrive as she tried to think of a plan to get rid of those explosive arrows. Perhaps she could get close enough to either set the explosives off or figure out a way to quickly empty the quiver, possible away from Crystal

A thought occured to Ruby a moment later as she watched Smoker slowed the Motorcycle to a stop. Tashigi hopped off the Cycle and walked away before she saluted Smoker and Crystal. Smoker twisted the handle and the Motorcycle let out a growl before Smoker let go of the brake and sped out of sight.

"That guy wants me to fight him before we leave," Luffy stated. Ruby rolled her eyes.

"So does Crystal, with me," she shot back, "But she isn't going to get her wish because we need to leave, immediately."

"Why?" Luffy asked.

"Do you want your grandfather to figure out you are here, in Loguetown, and send you back to Dawn Island?" Ruby went for the low blow. Luffy paled. "Unless you want that to happen, we need to put more distance between us and him. I know for a fact he is here in the East Blue, looking for you."

"LET'S GET GOING!" Luffy shouted and spirited to the edge of the roof, leaping over the gap.

Ruby's jaw dropped as her eyes widened. She had forgotten Luffy (and Ace and Sabo) were scared shitless of the Marine Hero. She let out a small squeak.

"Who's there!?" Tashigi roared.

"Run," Sabo ordered. They gave chase after Luffy who was two buildings away, running like hounds of hell were on his heels.

Gunshots rang out as Nami and Usopp made their mad dash. The mysterious woman slipped into a fighting stance. The mysterious woman closed her eyes, let out a breath, snapped her eyes open, and performed a move that Nami knew from her time with the Arlong Pirates. The other woman punched forward and waited. The orange haired woman felt the air moved behind her and heard cries of the Marines.

Usopp tossed the Elephant Tuna over the railing and climbed up. He turned around and helped Nami up the rope ladder before he ran to pull up the anchor. Nami, however, dashed to the kitchen and dropped the bags and briefcase beside the kitchen table. She took noticed of the two bags already sitting on the table.

"Those are my and my partner's," a voice drifted through the air. Nami turned her head, spotting the mysterious woman in the doorway, "My partner is with the rest of your crew and he will be able to explain the reason why we are here after we get to safety." She paused, "What do you want me to do to help to coast off?"

Nami nodded slowly, weary of the mysterious woman. She didn't appear like a fish woman. She would figure that out later and spoke, "Set the sail."

The mysterious woman nodded and turned to help Usopp when she spoke again, "My name is Koala."

"Nami," The orange haired woman immediately replied.

"Pleasure to meet ya."

"Likewise."

The mysterious woman - Koala - disappeared out of the kitchen and went to help Usopp.

Ruby panted for breath. The stitch on her ribcage ached like a bitch, feeling akin to fire trying to burn her lungs. Her throat and mouth were dry despite the rain hitting her face. She spotted the stormy ocean, now, less than a few hundred yards away. She let a grin. They were almost back to the ship then they could set sail if Nami and Usopp didn't already. They would be out to sea in less than an hour and safe from the Marines. She sensed Zoro running just behind her. She knew he could outpaced her when she was this tired out. She mentally cursed. She had neglected her training in the last few days. Now, she paid for it. She tried not to think about the reason why Zoro was lagging. Sanji kept pace, in the space between Ruby and the leading duo - Luffy and Sabo.

The Going Merry, Ruby noticed, hadn't set sail, yet, but she spotted, Usopp and another woman - a mysterious honey-blond that looked familiar - darted around the deck of the ship, tying the sails down in preparation to set sail.

Luffy and Sabo reached the edge of the last building and jumped off. Sanji followed them. Ruby approached the edge and took a deep breath before she went over the edge. She blinked in surprise as Sabo extended his arms and caught her in a bridal embrace. She rose an eyebrow at him. He gave her a cocky smirk. She rolled her eyes as he set her down on her feet as Zoro landed beside them.

Cannon fire brought their attention to the current problem at hand. Ruby looked up sharply and watched as the Going Merry rocked back and forth as cannon balls landed in the water around the ship.

"Right rudder full!" Nami could be heard shouting.

Luffy jerked forward. Zoro was on his heels. Sanji spirited after the two. Ruby and Sabo hurried after them. They had to catch up to their ship.

"HEY!" Luffy roared, "Wait for us!" He stretched out of his arms backwards. Ruby gulped as she saw the rubber arm slipped around her and Sabo before the Straw Hat captain pulled them forward. The duo hit Zoro and Sanji before the rubber arm continued its path, stretching over the sea.

Ruby watched as the arm dropped them on deck before the hand grabbed the mast. She landed in an awkward crunch, half sitting on Zoro, half in a kneeling position. She heard the familiar sound of rubber snapping together and Luffy stood nearby with a grin. Ruby rolled her eyes and straighten into a standing position. She spotted Nami nearby and called, "Hey, Nami, you owe a thousand berries."

"I know," Nami grumbled.

The rain stopped. The red head spun around as Sabo and the mysterious woman grabbed the edge of the railing. Ruby spotted Dragon, standing on a nearby building, overlooking the sea then a howling sound echoed from the town. She yelled, "Grab a hold of something!" She grabbed the rope tied around the lower part of the mast. She saw most of the crew giving a confused look before the howling sound got louder until the harsh wind hit the sails, snapping them.

The Going Merry shot forward as the crew struggled to find something to hold. Ruby hissed as her hands started to slip on the rope. She closed her eyes against the wind. 'Just a bit longer. Just hold on a bit longer,' she told herself as her fingers screamed, pain lacing up her hands and arms.

As quickly as it started, the wind died down. The rain poured again. The red head let a sigh of relief as she let go of the rope. She flexed her fingers, glancing at the redden areas where she held the rope.

"Could someone tell me what happen?" Luffy asked as he peeled himself from the cannon room wall. He placed a hand on his hat.

"Sorry about that," Sabo commented, standing up. Ruby glanced over in his direction and noticed his hood had fallen back, revealing his face, "My boss has the Wind-Wind Devil Fruit."

Crystal and Smoker watched as the Straw Hat ship sailed off. Crystal let out a growl of annoyance as she glared.

"What was that sudden gust?" Smoker muttered, "He appeared and disappeared like lighting on the same day that Gold Roger was executed 22 years ago. What on earth…" His expression turned thoughtful before he realized something.

Crystal looked at her boyfriend, confused. She knew he was referring to someone, but she didn't know who.

"GO!" A green cloaked figure standing on top of a nearby building yelled, "If that's your decision, then make your dream happen."

The red head marine looked up sharply before she hissed, "It's that Dragon?"

"Yes, it is," Smoker confirmed, before he spoke louder, "Why did you help that man, Dragon?"

"What reason would there be to interfere with a man's departure?" The Revolutionary asked, staring at the departing ship.

Smoker didn't have an answer for that, but he looked at the Straw Hat ship before he ordered, "Set Sail. We are going after him."

Crystal heaved a sigh. She said, "I wish I could go with you, Hun, but I received orders to join the Nelson Fleet for a few weeks." Her boyfriend nodded in understanding. "Apparently, they are short-handed on Captains. I have to report to the Commander in the morning."

Ruby snapped her head toward Luffy. He stared at Sabo with wide, watery eyes. Everything was silent. The storm had seemed to quiet down, waiting. Luffy's rubber arms stretched out and wrapped themselves around Sabo's shoulders. He flew at Sabo and wrapped his legs around the blond's middle, sobbing loudly, "YOU'RE ALIVE, SABO!"

Sabo, Ruby could tell, was not expecting this kind of reaction and fell back onto the stairs leading up to the back deck. His eyes widened in shock.

"I'M SO GLAD!" Luffy continued his mixed crying and shouting, "ACE WILL BE HAPPY, TOO!"

Ruby let out a gasp. She had forgotten about Ace's reaction. In the anime and manga, Ace died, not knowing that Sabo had survived that fateful night, but his death had cause Sabo's memories to be awaken. She wondered what would happen once Ace figured out that his other brother was alive.

"I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Luffy sobbed. Sabo gave Ruby a help-me look before the red head sighed. She walked over to Luffy and grabbed the Straw Hat captain's shoulder, kneeling beside him.

"Lu," She started, "Sabo has lost his memories of you and Ace. He doesn't remember anything before his boss saved him that night when Grey Terminal burnt," She spoke softly, trying to calm Luffy down.

Luffy blinked at her with tears still running down his cheeks, snort coming out of his nose. He looked confuse.

"She's right," Sabo started, "Before I was saved by my boss, I don't remember anything. I just know I didn't want to go back to whatever place I had called home." He paused, looking thoughtful, "But judging from your reaction, I did know you, right."

Luffy nodded, "We are sworn brothers - you, me, and Ace."

"Ace?" Sabo questioned. Luffy nodded with a grin. The blond shot Ruby a look and she mouthed 'Fire Fist Ace'. Sabo's jaw dropped in shock. "You mean Fire Fist Ace is your brother!" Luffy nodded his head with a proud grin, correcting Sabo, "OUR!"

Ruby stood up and glanced around. The crew and the mysterious woman had shocked expressions on their faces. She sighed. Maybe it had been better for Sabo to wait until they were out of this hurricane like storm before he dropped the bombshell. Oh, well, that's life for you, always throwing curve balls at you.

"Sanji," Ruby barked. The cook snapped to attention, "Go make us some hot drinks, please and thank you."

"Yes, Ruby-chan," Sanji replied.

"Nami," the red head turned to the navigator, "How long do we have until we see the Red Line?"

"Two more days," Nami replied.

Ruby nodded, "Go get changed out of those wet clothes and put on a rain coat. We can't afford to have our navigator getting sick on us." She glanced at the unnamed woman, "And take this chick-a-dee with ya." Nami nodded and waved the other woman over before they disappeared through the storage room door.

"Sabo," She turned to the blond, "How about you take Luffy to the kitchen?" He nodded before he struggled to get Luffy to let go long enough to walk the short distance to the kitchen. Ruby turned away, hiding her smirk. She knew Luffy would react that way. He did when he found out Sabo was alive during the Dressrosa Arc. She had hope to tell Luffy about Sabo after the rest went to sleep or in private, but it didn't go to plan. She just had hope everything else would work out.

"Usopp," Ruby turned the sharpshooter next, "Go help Sanji, put the food away." Usopp raised an eyebrow at her before Zoro pushed his shoulder, indicating the sharpshooter should listen to the red head.

"So," Zoro started after Usopp disappeared into the kitchen, "You have accepted the position," He stated.

Ruby nodded, "Right now, I don't have a way back home. Until I do find a way home, I will be staying with the crew."

"And if you find a way back home," Zoro asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I will deal with it then," she replied, closing her eyes with a sigh. She rubbed one of her eyes as she relaxed her shoulders and opened her other eye, staring at the first mate.

"Does Luffy know?"

"Probably not. Sabo caught his attention before I could say anything," Ruby explained, "I will tell him in the morning after he has the chance to calm down from seeing Sabo again."

"Yeah about that," Zoro said, "How did you know about him?"

Ruby allowed a coy smile to cross her lips as she gave Zoro a flirty look, "Now, now, Zoro, hun, a woman can't tell all of her secrets." She winked at him before she spun on her heel and walked away with an extra sway in her hips. She walked to the storage room under the kitchen and opened the door. She shut it behind her as she entered before she headed to the women's quarters.

Ruby climbed down the stairs, spotting Nami and the mysterious woman in the process of drying off. Nami looked up at her and called out, "Hey, Ruby, could you go grab my shopping bags from the kitchen?"

Ruby forced a smile to her lips and replied, "Sure." She turned around and went back through the storage room, outside, and up to the kitchen where Sanji was in the process of handing out hot drinks for the men, Usopp sat at the table with his bag, Sabo sat on the small bed that the crew had used as an infirmary bed with Luffy curled up beside him, and Zoro stood just inside the door.

Sanji looked up as Ruby entered and gave her a grin, "You are just in time, Ruby-dear, I have hot tea ready."

"Excellent," she replied with a smile, "Nami sent me to grab her bags."

"They're over there," Usopp pointed in the direction of the back of the room where a pile of bags sat. Ruby let out a defeated sigh as she eyed the bags. Just how much did the navigator buy? She walked over and grabbed the handles of the bags before she swung the large bag over her shoulder. She felt the bag hit her lower back. She straightened up and turned around, commenting, "I will be back for the hot drinks, Sanji."

"Here," Sanji said, "I will help you, my sweetest gem."

She nodded in acceptance and just said, "Thank you, Sanji-kun."

Ruby led the way to the women's rooms and saw Nami standing at the bottom of the stairs with just her underwear and bra on. She handed the navigator the bags before she turned back to the cook and took the tray of hot drinks from him. She gave her thanks before she went down the stairs, pausing briefly to sliding the door shut above her head before she continued down the stairs. She fought a yawn as she set the hot drinks on the bar top. She glanced over at Nami.

"So, Nami, what the hell did you buy?" Ruby asked, "The entire store?" She took one of the hot drinks and took a hesitance sip. The hot tea scorched her tongue before she shallowed. The tea traveled down and hit her stomach, giving her a warm feeling.

"Har-har-har," Nami gave Ruby a stink eye before she continued going through the big bag, "Since you are still here, Ruby, I take you have decide to join the crew." Ruby nodded, taking another drink. "I got you some clothes." Ruby blinked in surprise. She had been so busy, running around Loguetown that she had forgot about getting more clothes. Plus, she had hoped that Thor would have drop by long enough to pick her up and get back home before she had no choice but to join the Straw Hats. "Here," Nami said as she tossed the red head assassin a towel, "Get out of the wet clothes before you get sick, Second Mate. I might your help in the next few weeks."

The towel landed on Ruby's head. Ruby brought her left hand and folded her fingers down, leaving her middle figure up. Something hit Ruby's midsection. She let out a muffled oomph before she heard the object hit the floor by her feet.

Ruby grabbed the towel off her head and set it on the stool next to her before she set her tea back on the tray. She bent over and grabbed what hit her. She unfolded it to see it was a white tank top with a white bra and underwear. She glanced up at Nami, just in time to catch a pair of dark purple jean like pants. She blinked in surprise as she recognized they were the same ones that Robin wore after she started to travel with the crew until they had ran into Aokij, one of the three Admirals of the Navy.

"Thanks," Ruby said before she set the dry clothes on another stool and stripped off her wet black tank top. She glanced around the room, "Where are we putting our dirty clothes?"

"Over there," Nami pointed at the hamper at the far end of the room. Ruby waded up her wet shirt and threw it as hard as she could against the wall by the hamper. It landed with a wet splat. A moment later, Ruby's bra followed. The red head started to dry her torso off, without really thinking about the state of her bare skin. However, when the other two women gasped, Ruby remembered the reason why she would never have the courage to wear a bikini top. Ruby's stomach was covered in scars. She knew at one time, some of the scars formed words.

Ruby spun around, immediately self-conscious of how she looked, but remembering how she got the scars. She pushed those memories aside, trying to bury them again.

"That tattoo," the mysterious woman said, "is so cool. It's reminds of the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Marco the Phoenix."

Ruby blinked in surprise. She peered over her right shoulder at the mysterious revolutionary. Her eyes were guarded as she studied the honey-brown haired woman. She gave a grunt and continued to dry off.

"Koala is right, Ruby, but I don't know about the similarity about the phoenixes," Nami agreed, "Oh, yeah, Ruby, this is Koala, she's traveling with Sabo. Koala, this is Ruby."

"Hello, Ruby," Koala said. Ruby just waved her hand in the air, the only sign she heard the other two. "Who did your tattoo?"

"A professional I knew," Ruby said, shortly. She reached for her new bra and tore off the tags before she slipped around her ribcage and hooked together before she twisted it around and slipped her arms through the straps. She didn't want to know how Nami managed to get her correct bra size. Probably the navigator had looked at Ruby's bra during one of the times she was not wearing it. She slipped on a white tank top.

The tattoo they were talking about covered Ruby's midsection, taking the shape of a blue firebird. Koala gave Ruby something to think about. Marco the Phoenix did look very similar to the phoenix that hunted her dreams for 6 years.

As Ruby finished drying off and slipped on the purple pants, the three women were thrown to the floor. Ruby could a loud curse from one of the men upstairs followed by a clatter. The Going Merry leapt into air causing Ruby float up, her hands the only part of her body touching the ship before the Merry slammed down. Ruby let out a pained groan. Nami gasped. Koala muttered a curse under her breath.

"Koala, is there anyway the storm your boss summoned turned into a Hurricane?" Ruby laid on the floor, staring at the deck inches away from her face.

"Yes," Koala replied.

"I was afraid of that," Ruby stated before she pushed herself to her feet.

~~Ruby's Story~~

Reviews:

Yaoi-Freak2580: Yes, a chapter! Emerald and Crystal won't figure out how Ruby got her training until way, way later like around just before the timeskip, maybe.

GodzNo: Here's more of the story. I'm sorry that the beginning was a bit confusing, but I'm glad you are enjoying the rest of the story.

Please drop a review and tell me what you think.


	11. Chapter 8: Conditions of the 2nd Mate

I wanted to update this story back on the 12th, but this chapter was not done then and proceeded to kick my ass. Somehow, 6 pages worth of notes managed to turn into this chapter…

Disclaimer: I just own Ruby. I don't own One Piece or any characters you recognized.

Chapter 8: The Conditions of the Second Mate

The storm turned into a hurricane sometime during the brief time they were out at sea causing the crew to fight to keep the Going Merry from tipping over and sending the entire crew to Davy Jones' locker.

Ruby gritted her teeth as she held onto the bucking rope attached to the main sail. She barely heard Nami over the roar of the wind. Nami had been yelling orders since the female trio had reemerged from below deck. The hard raindrops slammed against Ruby's black raincoat, but she ignored them as she tightened her black gloved hands around the rope, jerking hard on it. A pair of hands grabbed the rope. Her eyes darted over to see Zoro, looking down at her. He jerked his head toward the kitchen with a small glare. She nodded in understanding. She let go of the rope, slowly, making sure the swordsman had it before she left. The rope didn't budge. Ruby hurried to the kitchen to warm up.

The red head entered the kitchen and immediately the kitchen's warmth washed over her causing her to realize how cold she was, and the strong wonderful smell of chilli. Her stomach rumbled. Her mouth watered. Ruby didn't realized how hungry she was until just then. She licked her lips as she sat down at the table. Sanji swiftly placed a bowl in front of her. She sent the cook a grateful smile before she ate the chilli so fast that Sanji and Koala paused, looking at her in shock.

Ruby grabbed a slice of butter bread and wiped the inside of the bowl before she glanced up at Sanji, asking, "Has everybody ate?"

"Twice," Sanji replied, "Except for you." His voice took on a disapproving tone. "Apparently, you brushed off everyone who tried to switch places with you so you could get warmed up and food in your stomach."

Ruby shrugged before she shoved the entire slice of bread into her mouth and chewed on it. She didn't really care what the rest of the crew thought. She had survived worst conditions before and walked away from it.

Nami walked in followed by the rest of the crew, leaving pools of water on the galley floor. The navigator walked around the table and sat down, across from Ruby with a sigh. Sanji brought over a tray of barrels, two fancy wineglasses, and a curved bottle. He handed the drinks out; the fancy wineglasses went to Nami and Koala, the barrels went to the men, and Ruby got the curvy bottle; earning a thankful smile or look from everyone.

"We are approaching the edge of the storm," Nami stated before she sipped on her drink, "This is really good, Sanji-kun." She gave the blond cook a grin as the cook cooed.

"We good for the rest of the night?" Ruby asked, silently desiring to go to bed. She took a timid sip of the bottle. Her eyes widened in surprise as the beverage flavor exploded on her tongue, the familiar tinge of the carbonated beverage, and the rush of caffeine entering her blood, racing through her body. She shallowed the cola and let out a sigh.

"Night?" Nami asked, "We have been working since yesterday afternoon through the night. It's nearly sunrise." She eyed Ruby with worry and uncertainty, "But are you alright?"

"Perfect," Ruby replied. She tipped the bottle back and chugged the rest of the cola. She put the empty bottle on the table. She gave Sanji a content smile, asking, "Is there any more cola?"

"Yes, Ruby darling," Sanji replied, "I got a total of 6 large barrels of cola for you."

Ruby shot up and walked over to the cook. She reached up and grabbed Sanji's tie, pulling him down to her. She sent him a smile. He looked nervous. She placed her lips against his, closing her eyes. She heard someone gasped in shock, and a loud clatter echo through the silent galley. She pulled away from Sanji, whispering, "You are a dear, Sanji-kun."

Ruby let go of his tie and stepped around him. She went to the fridge, opened the door, and glanced in before she grabbed another bottle. She swung her hips as she walked out of the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "I'm going to bed. Night y'all."

~The Moby Dick~

Emerald slipped on a black dress that ended at her knees. She studied her image reflected in the mirror. She decided to go neutral, choosing makeup that almost blended with her natural skin color. A movement over her shoulder got her attention. Her eyes flickered as Ace appeared, waring a black button-up shirt. That was highly usual for him - wearing a shirt. Emerald barely remembered a time where he did wear a shirt, but this was a special occasion. She felt tears well up in her eyes. Ace held out his arms.

Emerald stepped into his embrace, sliding her arms around him as she inhaled the smoky scent that belong to him. She didn't know how long they stood there, arms wrapped around each other. A knock on the door echoed through the room and it opened. Marco popped his head in, looking more stressed then he usually did.

"It's time, yo," He said, somberly. Ace nodded. Marco pulled his head out of the room, allowing the door to shut.

Emerald waited just long enough for Marco to walk away from the door before she spoke, "He need to find a girlfriend," She stepped way from Ace.

"He won't be able to," Ace admitted. Emerald gave him a confused look over her shoulder as she walked to their bed where she had set a pair of black heels.

"Why?" She asked as she turned, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Remember back when you first join the crew," Ace started, his hands disappearing into his front pockets, "Marco kept calling you 'Ruby'."

"Yeah," Emerald replied, ignoring the flash of pain and the last memory of her older sister - an annoyed scowl, eyes flashing with childish anger, and that fucking huge fruit in her small hand - before she pushed that memory away.

"Apparently, six years ago, a teen girl and a metal armed man appeared on the Moby while Marco was stuck in his phoenix form, during his mating season," Ace explained, looking downcast, "The teen, I guess, had bad experience with men in general that she refused to be around any of the men. She hid among the nurses, but the man she appeared had been locked up until he managed to escape and went after the teen girl. She ran until the man caught her when Marco interfered and protected her." He sighed, "After she and the metal armed man left, going back to where she was from, Marco realized the phoenix had chosen for to be its mate."

Emerald gasped. Her eyes widened as she listened to the story. She knew there was more to the story.

"Marco hadn't been with anyone else since then," Ace finished.

"And the teen looked like me?" Emerald asked. Ace nodded.

"Dead ringer," He explained, "Marco has a photo of her and him in his phoenix form in his office."

"And her name was Ruby," the red head asked.

"Yes," Ace gave her puzzled look, "You know her or something?"

"She's my older sister," Emerald whispered, looking down on her hands, "For the last 13 years, I thought she was dead because that fucking Devil Fruit she ate when we were 7."

Ace's eyes widened in surprise, "If we managed to find Ruby, Marco might have a chance to de-stress — a lot," He paused at Emerald's amused raised eyebrow look and knew what she was thinking about his one track mind when it came to sex. "And you get your sister, back, too."

Emerald snorted as she finished putting on her heels.

After the funeral, one of the siblings stepped forward with heart stopping news. He saw Marshall D. Teach leaving the kitchen where Thatch was found and left the Moby Dick in one of the row boats. Ace stormed away from the deck. Emerald race after him, pausing long enough to pull her heel off before she darted toward their room.

Emerald burst into their room, eyes roaming over Ace as he packed, hurriedly. He was going after Teach. She shut the door behind her.

"Give me one minute and I'll be ready," Emerald announced, tossing her heels in with her collection of shoes before she grabbed a pair of dark blue pants and stepped into them, pulling up under her dress. She pulled off her dress and tossed it to the laundry bin.

"No, you are not coming along, Emerald," Ace snapped, "You need to be run the division."

"You need someone to watch your back, Ace," Emerald snapped back.

Marco sighed as he listened in on the argument between Emerald and Ace. There were days where he could barely stand, looking at Emerald. She looked like his Ruby so much that it hurt, knowing that Marco will never be able to have the same thing that many of his brothers and sisters had - someone to love and hold at night, someone to share secretive looks and touches with. He let out another sigh as he felt a mournful cry echo from the mythical bird.

He glanced at the close door. Ace wouldn't be leaving today, not while Emerald was dead set on going with him. He turned and started to walk away when he heard his name in conversation.

"What if we find Ruby," Emerald asked, "And she doesn't want o come back here with us, back to Marco?"

Marco paused, half-turning back, looking at the closed door.

"Then I'll deal with it," Ace replied.

"You mean we!" Emerald growled.

Marco shook his head as he walked away, trying to push away the memories of Ruby, burrying them deep in his heart. He couldn't wonder about what could have happen if she had stayed. He had more important things to do like preparing to help take care of 2nd and 4th Divisions.

~Ruby~

The sun broke the horizon as Ruby counted to herself, "65…66…67…68." Sweat dropped off her and fell to the deck. She uncurled and looked upon the deck before she relaxed her legs. She flipped upright as she fell to the deck. She bent her knees as she landed. She panted as she went to the nearby barrel of water she had place on the stairs a couple hours ago. She pulled off the top of the small barrel and brought it up to her lips before she took a long drink.

The cool liquid sooth the fire she had created during her workout. She pulled the barrel away from her lips and sighed, closing her eyes. She placed the lid back on before she placed the barrel back down on the step. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She turned and walked closer to the mast before she fell forward.

Her hand slapped against the wooden deck. She shifted her feet to be shoulder-weight apart. Ruby let out a sigh before she went down and pushed up, counting, "1…2…3…4…5…6." She found a rhythm and went through her workout routine.

Ruby stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her wet, nude form. Another towel wrapped around her head. She felt a lot better after that shower. Her bare feet padded across the wooden floor as she headed to the women's quarters. She heard the door leading to the middle deck and she glanced up.

Zoro and Sabo were deep in discussion as Sabo stepped into the storage room, first. Ruby watched as his dark eyes flickered toward her and he froze, staring at her with a wide-eyed shocked expression. She met his eye and she winked. That caused Sabo's cheeks to heat up as she felt his eyes ran up and down her barely concealed form.

She saw Zoro glanced at her before he did a double-take, lips parted. She let an amused giggle as she smirked at them. Zoro tried to keep a stoic face, but she noticed his cheek colored.

She continued her way to the women's quarters. She used her foot and pushed the sliding door open before she started down the stairs, putting an extra swung to her hips as she disappeared.

She glanced at her audience and stated, "You might want to close your mouths before you start catching flies." She could have heard their mouths' closed with a snap.

"Ruby," Nami called out, "Who are you talking to?"

"Sabo and Zoro," Ruby answered as she walked down the stairs. Nami sat on the edge of the couch, half dressed. Koala was in the process of putting away her bedding. Ruby met Nami's eyes and sent a playful expression with a wink, "Hey, Nami, do you want to help me to dry off?"

Nami raised an eyebrow at her. Koala stopped, glancing over her shoulder.

At first, a dead silence filled the air before Nami, Ruby, and Koala heard a pair of thuds. Ruby peered over the lip of the door and let a shit-eating grin crossed her lips as she stared at the forms of Zoro and Sabo. She heard Nami and Koala hurried over and joined her.

"Poor Sabo," Koala giggled, "he's not used to a sexy lady like yourself, Ruby, giving him attention."

"Neither is Zoro," Nami snickered.

"Poor, poor, babies," Ruby snickered, "I wasn't aware these two were so innocent." She saw Zoro twitched as Sabo sat up. He covered his nose and tried to glare at the trio of women. "Maybe, you two can help me taking care of their innocence."

Sabo met Ruby's eyes before the red head winked again and she blew him a kiss. He tried to glare at her as a tent rose in his pants. Koala burst out laughing followed by Nami who pulled the other two into their room.

"I hate you," Sabo called.

Ruby replied, "You were not saying that last night, Sabo-dear," as she closed the door behind her.

"WHHAAAT!" Sanji roared, suddenly. Ruby turned her gaze to Nami and Koala as Sabo tried to correct what Ruby had referenced to. A series of thuds and thumps echoed in the room. The red head snorted. The other two burst out laughing, joining Ruby.

After Ruby got dressed, she went to the kitchen where Sabo, Koala, and Nami sat at the table. She noticed Sabo's bruised cheek and his glare, once he saw her. She snickered under her breath as she went to the fridge. Nami had her head buried in the daily newspaper as Koala read a letter before the revolutionary woman handed it over to Sabo who read it.

She poked her head into the fridge, hoping to for leftovers from last night's dinner. She glanced through the shelves and pouted as she saw there was no leftovers. She grabbed a bottle of soda. She shut the fridge door and joined the others at the table. She opened her soda and took a long drink from the carbonated drink, savory the feeling of caffeine running through her veins, slowly energizing her.

"Anything interesting in the newspaper?" Ruby asked, after she shallowed her soda, looking at the navigator.

"Nope," Nami glanced over the headlines, "Just the usual - Pirates attacking the Navy or raiding various islands, the Navy is still searching for any news on the group that attacked a noble's castle in the West Blue," Ruby glanced at Sabo whose lips twitched into a smirk of delight as Nami continued, "A report over the strange weather from the other day at Loguetown."

"New Wanted Posters?" Ruby asked.

"Nope," Nami replied, brown eyes still looking over the paper, "Oh, apparently, the Whitebeard Pirates have been seen having a funnel."

Ruby jerked to look at the Navigator. Dread filled her as she asked, hoping the death was not Thatch already, "Does it say which Pirate died?"

"The Fourth Division Commander."

Thatch. Ruby's back snapped straight. Her eyes glinted angrily. So, it had happen. Thatch had died. She frowned and took another drink before she got up, glancing around the table, pausing on Sabo for a moment. She walked out, unknowing that her footsteps was a bit of harder then usual. She couldn't believe that backstabbing bastard already made his move. The events that led to the War of the Best started. She needed to start planning today if she wanted to make a difference in the lives affected by the outcome of the war.

Sabo looked up at Ruby's back, taking note of Ruby's body language as she walked out of the kitchen. She was pissed about something. Her shoulders held back and high. From the short glance he saw her sky blue eyes darkened to stormy skies, promising pain. He followed her outside, wondering if he dared to ask the red head why she was upset. He lent against the cabin of the galley, watching her.

Unaware of Sabo, Ruby stared out at the calm ocean as she thought of the reason why Thatch died. She growled under her breath. Blackbeard. The fat bastard killed the Fourth Division Commander because the asshole wanted the Yami No Mi. She grabbed the railing. Her knuckles turned white. She knew his end game - to take care of Whitebeard and gain the Tumor-Tumor No Mi and eventually creating the path to become King of the Pirates.

Sabo continued to watch the mysterious red head as she apparently thought about what pissed her off. He frowned. Why did the news about the Whitebeard Fourth Division Commander set her off? Did she know Thatch? If she did, what was her connection to the Yonko Pirate crew? He let out a soft sigh. Her presence only brought more questions then answers.

"Sabo!" Luffy cried out, "There you are!"

The Revolutionary member turned to the captain with a faux smile as Luffy came running up to him from the middle of the ship, leaving Usopp standing behind with a frown on his face.

The Straw Hat man had been trying to get Sabo's memories back. The only thing the Captain managed to do was give Sabo a major headache and tested his patience to the point where he was ready to struggle the rubber captain.

Luffy's voice drifted up to Usopp as the long nosed teen scanned the horizon, half listening to the strange tale of the ASL pirates and how they chose a captain. By defeating a large Tiger? Usopp smirked in amusement. He could tell better stories then that, but he wouldn't tell anyone that, of course, not when the straw hat teen was trying to help the mysterious blond man to regain his memories. Usopp let out a soft sigh.

Luffy, suddenly, cut himself in mid-story and turned to look at Nami who sat in a lunge chair, reading the newspaper, asking, "Nami! Aren't we in the Grand Line, yet?"

Nami flipped the page, glancing at the various headlines, answering, "We just left Loguetown a few days ago. It'll take a few more days to get there. Wait a little longer."

"Kay," Luffy pouted. He couldn't wait to start exploring the Grand Line. He turned back to Sabo, immediately, picking up where he left off, "I hit the target, of course." He grin slipped from his face as he turned to his face the sea and started to whistling softly.

Sabo blinked as Sanji sighed. Nami rolled her eyes and Zoro snored, sleeping. The revolutionary felt a sharp pain shoot through his head and glared at the Straw Hat Captain, "No, you didn't." He didn't know how he knew, but he just did. "Your arm nearly hit me and went flying past your target to hit the old man, Naguri, in the side of his face."

Luffy's head snapped around. He stared at Sabo with wide, hopeful eyes and wore a bigger grin.

Sabo reached up and rubbed his temple as he continued, "Surprisingly, your aim had gotten a lot better over the years."

Luffy jumped up from his seat on top of the figurehead, roaring, "You remember, Sabo!" He wrapped his arms and legs around the older brother. Sabo took few steps back, hitting the railing with a wide eyed expression. Luffy laughed in his ear, joyful.

Sabo patted the captain's back awkwardly, not having the heart to tell Luffy that he really didn't remember, he just had the knowledge of what happen, before he untangled himself from Luffy's hold. He muttered, "Please, excuse me." He hurried to the back of the ship.

Luffy watched him go. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he blinked them back. His chest tightened. He was not going to cry. He heard Ace's voice drift in his head, "Crybaby." He just wanted his other - much nicer - brother back.

"Hey," Usopp called out, "I see a flock of birds to starboard!"

Luffy snapped out of his depressed state and looked up at Usopp, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I also see something kind of big on the water, but I can't see it well," Usopp replied, peering through his special goggles that he got back in Loguetown.

Ruby glanced toward the figurehead, hearing the conversation and felt a flicker of surprise as Sabo made his way toward her before she pushed it away.

"How do you do it?" Sabo asked, his tone held a harsh note in it as his eyes plead with her to give him an answer to help him against Luffy.

"Do what?" Ruby asked, confused. Her eyes ran over Sabo's irritated expression and went to the Straw Hat captain as he threw his arm out behind him before he stretched it forward. Her eyes followed the arm to a flock of birds nearly half a mile off starboard.

"Put up with Luffy when he's like that," he explained. Ruby sighed through her nose before she raised her eyebrow and pinned the blond with a look, "Telling you stories that you have a feeling that you should know or have the knowledge from, but don't remember."

"I," Ruby emphasized, "remind Luffy that I don't know what he's talking about and change the subject." She stared at the horizon, "And besides, the only stories he heard are from Shanks."

"Your father?" Sabo asked with a frown.

"According to Luffy, yes, Shanks is my father," she answered, "But as for my memories of the man, I don't know nor remember him. The only parent I remember is my adoptive mother who happen to be a bad ass, super spy and former assassin." Ruby smirked in amusement as Sabo's lips parted and his eyes widened in shock. "No, at first, she didn't want to raise me to follow in her footsteps."

"What happen?" Sabo asked, cautiously.

"I was kidnapped when I was 14," Ruby took a breath," And I was held captive for nearly three months." Her eyes held a hunted look and she tried to keep the memories away, trying not to remember how hopeless she felt.

A cry of "I caught it!" echoed from Luffy. She glanced out at sea to watch as Luffy brought in something. She didn't remember what though. She had more important things to worry about. She had to find a way to defeat Blackbeard, save Ace, and prevent Whitebeard's death at the hands of Blackbeard and the Navy. She had no way of knowing or even finding out what happen to the remaining members of the Whitebeard Pirates after the two time-skip.

Sabo jerked to glance at Luffy. Ruby schooled her expression into am emotionless mask and repeated, "Next time Luffy bugs you about remembering your past, just change the subject."

"I did that!" Sabo let out an aggravated growl, "Then he continues on with a story, only changing one little fact that happen and somehow, I corrected him, stating it happen a different way, but I don't remember, but I just know it."

Maybe, after the 2 year skip, if she was still around, she could pursue Luffy into expanding the crew to include the remaining Whitebeard Pirates or at least a few of them like Marco the Phoenix - _a fiery blue phoenix sat on the edge of the crow_ _'s nest of a very large ship, -_ or Izo the 16th commander - _she faced a woman with heavy make-up on and a flat chest to realize a second later when she? He? Opened the red painted lips and a deep male voice rang out -_ or even Jozu the 3rd Commander - _she stared in wonder as the large shoulder man transformed half of his body into sparkling diamond_ \- or any Whitebeard Pirate for that matter. Their experience with the New World would be highly valued. More importantly, why the hell was Ruby having images of the crew when she never had met them personally? She knew the images that flashed through her mind never showed in the anime.

"Maybe your subconscious is trying to tell you something," Ruby said. She wondered if she should consider taking her own advice. She would remember meeting the Whitebeard Pirates. They were unforgettable, just like the Straw Hats.

"Perhaps," Sabo said when there was the sound of a splash followed by Sanji yelling "Dumbass!"

Sabo and Ruby turned to look at the front deck to see Sanji driving overboard with rope in one hand as the two women stared down at something laying on deck. Usopp already started to climb down from the crow's nest to join the other two women.

"What's going on?" Ruby muttered, out loud.

Sabo shrugged before he suggested, "Let's find out." He walked over to the crew. Ruby trailed behind him, silently.

Sanji reappeared on deck a moment later and looked at Sabo, asking, "Could you help hail Mosshead's ass out of the ocean?"

"Sure?" Sabo replied with a questioned note in his voice before he walked over and helped pull the first mate up.

Ruby remembered the girl, now, was from the short arc just before the Straw Hats entered the Grand Line, something about dragons. The girl's name began with an 'A' if the red head remembered.

"Is it a fishperson?" Luffy asked, standing by Ruby, looking over her shoulder.

"No, it's a girl," Nami replied, looking shocked, staring down at the girl.

"It seems just a little kid," Usopp noted, "Really? A fish person?" Everyone ignored him.

"Why would someone leave a child in the ocean like that?" Nami asked, "It makes no sense."

"Maybe a ship wreck," Ruby supplied, trying to remember the arc she was in, "That storm the other day was pretty bad."

"Perhaps," Nami admitted, looking unsure.

"Well," Koala cut in before theories could get outlandish, "We need to get her out of those wet clothes. Sabo, could you carry her down to the women's quarters?"

"Sure," Sabo replied and he pushed through the circle to pick the girl up before he carried the girl downstairs. The trio of women followed the blond, intending to dry off the girl before she got sick.

A few hours later, Nami called for one of the men to carry the mysterious girl up to the kitchen. Ruby noticed Sanji carried the girl, following after the Navigator before she went back to the Newspaper. The red head resisted the urge to let out an aggravated sigh as her eyes ran over the 2nd page and a headline caught her attention:

'Germa 66 helps defeat the Rose Alliance'

Ruby raised her eyebrow in surprise. What or who was Germa 66? Obviously, it was group that was powerful enough to defeat this Rose Alliance. From what little information provided, the Rose Alliance was a group of islands in the South Blue that had a lot flowers - specially roses and each island had roses in different colors. It was interesting to learn about the different islands in the Blues and the Grand Line, Ruby was more interest in this Germa 66. She didn't know if Germa 66 was an organization that just haven't introduced yet and was similar to SHIELD or it was similar to Ciphor Pohl. She couldn't find out, anyway. She had no contacts she knew that wouldn't feed her false Intel. She, also, didn't have Internet or a fast way to research this unknown organization.

A groan fled her throat. That meant she would have to do gathering Intel the old fashion way, asking people and hoped she didn't raise suspicion. Ruby could always start with the Revolutionary duo since they probably know a lot more then Nami or Zoro.

Ruby continued reading the headlines, skipping the one about Thatch's death and quickly found one about the Surgeon of Death and his nurse had been spotted on a date. Ruby's lips twitched into a smirk. She was not aware Law had a girlfriend, but of course, the anime and manga didn't go into detail about the other supernovas.

She spotted an article about Alabasta's Civil War and she skimmed over it - Princess Vivi was still missing, the rebels were gathering strength, Crocodile helped protect the country from low level pirates, etc. A lot of the information Ruby already knew beforehand, according to the anime and manga, what was happening.

There was a short article over the Kidd Pirates, destroying a town in the West Blue. According to the article, the Kidd Pirates celebrated one of the women's birthday, back on the 26th.

Ruby raised her eyebrows in surprise. She was not aware that there were women apart of Kidd Pirates, but she kinda figured that they were background characters and wouldn't be seen during the original storyline. She continued reading the headlines - Kuro of Thousand Plans had been spotted alive; the status of Don Krieg Pirates; and a few other articles about the upcoming supernovas. All of it was instersting since the story never went into detail about the pervious crews that the Straw Hats defeated or the other major events that went on like the Civil War in Alabasta and what the other supernovas were doing before they reached Seabody Archology.

The rest of the newspaper had other news like a random Marine gets reward for capturing a low bounty pirate or busting a smuggling ring for illegal drugs. The same kind of stuff that Ruby was familiar, having dealt with a few smuggling rings back home. They were a pain in the ass to try to infiltrate, sometime an agent would spend weeks, months, or even years to get close to the ring leaders before bringing them down.

The last page of the paper was similar to the last page from home - the Classified page. Ruby closed the paper with a sigh. She glanced at the girl. She was still unconscious.

The secret agent got up and walked over to the drawer Sanji kept Phoenix stored when he was trying to get more recipes from the A.I. He still hadn't found out that Ruby was a sucker for cookies'n'cream flavored deserts.

She pulled out the laptop and opened the lid. She waited for the A.I. to wake.

"Hello Miss Ruby," Phoenix started, "How may I be of service?"

" _English only,_ _security level max,_ _"_ Ruby instructed, turning back to the table.

" _Security Code?"_ Phoenix prompted, running the necessary applications. A large black box filled the middle of the screen. The SHIELD logo was hovering in the background.

" _Alpha-Charlie-Echo-2-0-1-0-Foxtrox-Echo-Beta-1-7,"_ Ruby gave her security code. She felt the flicker of amusement and sadness. She remembered how she came up with the code, after all, she was planning to save her inspiration.

The program accepted the security code and Phoenix flashed through several screens, asking, _"What's your purpose for using this program?"_

" _Forming a strategy to defeat the pirate known as Blackbeard,"_ Ruby replied, waiting for the A.I. program to take care of the necessary information.

" _Is the name Blackbeard an allis?"_ Phoenix questioned. Sometimes, Ruby hated how the programmers at SHIELD did some of the programs.

" _Yes,"_ Ruby glanced around, half hoping the crew wouldn't disturb her, but knowing there was good chance they would. She sighed. Maybe she should re-locate to the women's quarters for a few hours.

" _Real Name?"_ Phoenix tried to gather information. The A.I. had the knowledge on Blackbeard, but the porticall wanted a real human being to put in the information. According to Natasha, the program originally had been designed to automatically put in the information and Nick Fury had been on SHIELD's hit lit.

" _Marshall D. Teach,"_ Ruby supplied. _"Japanese name."_

" _Mission Completion date?"_

Ruby dislike that line of requested data. There could be so many complictions with the unexpected. She went with her usualy answer, _"Unknown."_ At least, this time, nobody could yell at her for that answer.

" _Last Known Location?"_

" _Last known location was the pirate ship called the Moby Dick, Captained by Edward Newgate better known as Whitebeard,"_ Ruby said. She knew Blackbeard would travel to Drum Island, but she didn't know how long it would take for the fat bastard to be killed. The people with D in their name was annoying hard to kill, from what she had watched.

" _Does Blackbeard have any special abilities?"_

" _Yes, Devil Fruit - The Darkness Fruit."_

" _What does this Darkness Fruit do?"_

" _It gives the user darkness like abilities and cancels out other devil fruits," Ruby explained._

" _What about weakness?"_

" _Low pain tolerance, water, Sea Prism Stone,"_ She listed off the some of the more common Devil fruit weakness, but didn't know if Blackbeard had any personal weakness. For example, for Luffy, if someone really wanted to slowly kill him, it would be easy to do so. A skilled assassin could sneak up on him while he was sleeping, slicing his rubbery throat open; give the idioit food and he would think you could do no wrong thus getting close enough to kill him or take one by one his crew and make him watch as the killer in question kills each crew member before killing Luffy himself. However, with Luffy's oldest brother - Ace - insult Whiteberad and the fire user loses his temper.

On the other hand, men like Marco the Phoenix and Blackbeard guard their weakness a lot better. Ruby paused at that line of thought. She couldn't believe she had, mentally, put the awesome First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates in the same group as the ugly fat bastard called Blackbeard. She silently groaned. It was time to stop planning Blackbeard's ultimate defeat before she managed to screw it up and accidentally killed someone like Usopp or Nami.

" _We are done, for now,"_ Ruby informed Phoenix, _"I need to gather more information to create a solid strategy."_

" _Alright,"_ Phoenix replied, _"Saving…Your Mission plan has been saved. Logging out of the program."_

Ruby watched Phoenix did just that before the red head powered down the laptop and storage it back in the drawer.

Ruby didn't know if Sanji had any spare paper and she glanced at the unconscious girl before she left the kitchen, heading to the women's quarters, intending to grab a few pieces of lined paper. She wanted to write down various positions that will help expand the crew. That's assuming Luffy would agree to her conditions, expanding the crew and allow her to gather information - The Red Widow Way or better known as the Black Widow Style. Ruby's lips twitched a bit in both amusement and excitement at that thought.

When she came back, Nami was sitting in the kitchen, deep in discussion with Koala. She didn't want them asking questions about what she was doing until Luffy and Ruby had talked about her official joining the crew. Ruby briefly thought about where she could go to create her position list. She probably get the privacy she wanted if she went back to the women's quarters. It's not that she didn't want to be around the crew, but she just crave be alone.

Ruby went back to the women's quarters and sat at the bar. She placed the few pieces of paper on the bar top and started to write down the positions that the crew should have - first one being - Diplomat.

Ruby nodded to herself. The Straw Hat really needed someone to diplomat defuse problems that they would run across. While the unofficial second mate could probably do it, Sabo or Vivi would be better off. They both were nobles that were taught to use words rather than fighting actions to get what they want. Ruby knew Sabo probably wouldn't join because he wanted to help to make the world a free place. Plus there would be other factors involved for Sabo.

Vivi, unless she was highly pursued, would feel obligated to stay in Alabasta to help her people in the aftermath of the Civil War.

The red head sighed. She wrote down Sabo's name. He would have to fill the position for now until she found a better, recruited person to take the position.

The next position Ruby wrote down was 'nurse'. She knew Luffy would want and will recruit Chopper to be the Straw Hats 'Doctor' but just like the Enis Lobby Arc, Chopper was taken out during the fight to get Robin back, and after he woke and took care of his personal injuries, had to take everyone else's injuries. Plus, with an expanded crew, they would need extra hands in the medical staff.

Ruby let out a soft sigh as she realized that the cooking staff would also need to be expanded as well. Sanji would be the head cook. Perhaps, the crew could get their hands on a Pastry Chief, a chocolate maker, and an ice cream maker. She licked her lips at that thought, Cookies'n'cream ice cream. That sound lovely, right now.

She shook her head. She had to work! She couldn't start daydreaming about ice cream. She knew Natasha would have picked some up for her birthday. Ruby slapped the side of her face, gently, trying to rid of that train of thought. She had to focus on creating positions for the expanded crew. She took a shaky breath.

The crew would need an actually gunner. Granted Usopp was damn good with his slingshot, but the said weapon was still a slingshot. Ruby didn't think he would be easily pursued into changing to a pistol or another type of handgun. She would be happy to help teach to the crew's gunner, just like Natasha did with her.

Her pen shook slightly before she forced herself to move on from that dangerous train of thought. Who else would the crew need to expand?

Ruby read the very short list - Diplomat, Nurse, Pastry Chief, Chocolate maker, Ice Cream Maker, and Gunner. She stared at the list before she glanced around the women's quarters. When it came to her. A Bartender. They needed a bartender. Ale, grog, beer - whatever you want o call it was decent when she just wanted alcohol, but something fancier then what Sanji could make, that where a bartender stepped in. Natasha didn't teach Ruby that.

Her chest tightened as her breath hitched. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about her mother figure. Ruby didn't have a way to let the older woman that she was alright and trying to find a way home, that she would be home soon. She put her pen down and pushed the papers.

Her shoulders started to shake and she bit her lower lip, trying to keep silent. She wished she had a way to talk to Natasha. Her mom would know what to do if she was in Ruby's place and probably already had a few dozen plans in mind to get back home.

Her hands curled in her upper arms, her legs slowly inched up, and she arched forward. This was the first time since Natasha and Uncle Clint had bust into the small room Ruby had been trapped in for nearly 3 months, that Natasha was not with Ruby. Natasha had been there in the aftermath of Ruby's torture and the result, giving the younger woman advice, talking her through the options Ruby faced and helped her to get stronger - both physically and mentally.

She felt hot tears trail down her cheeks, dripping off her chin. She knew why she was crying. Ruby Romanova was homesick and missed her mother.

Luffy's eyes ran over the deck. He heard Nami and Koala in the kitchen with Sanji and the mysterious girl. The two women talked about the Grand Line. Zoro slept on the deck. The straw hat captain knew his first mate stayed up in the crow's nest, keeping watch, while the crew slept. Sabo sat in a lounge chair on the back deck, doing something that Luff couldn't see. Usopp was no where in sight, but his voice echoed from the back deck, no doubt, creating some ammo for his slingshot.

Luffy frowned. He got up and walked across the deck, following his gut instinct. He headed to the restroom. He felt werid. Maybe he needed to take a healthy shit. He entered the storage room and paused, listening to a hitched breathing. He followed the sound to the door to the women's quarters before he froze. He remembered Nami had yelled at him the last time he darted into that room.

He shifted his weight foot to foot before he stepped, cautionly, into the women's room. He spotted Ruby, sitting at the bar, curling up in a ball. He blinked in surprise. She was crying.

Luffy walked down the stairs and went over to Ruby. He remembered the last time he witnessed a woman crying. The night they left Cocoyashi Village, Nami was crying. Sanji had walked up to her, wrapping his arms around the upset navigator, hugging her to his chest, his hand rubbed gently up and down her back, doing nothing perverted.

Luffy reached out to Ruby, placing a hand on her shoulder. His eyes widened in surprise as Ruby's back snapped straight, already moving. She shoved her fist into Luffy's chest with enough force that Luffy was forced to take a couple steps back before she realized who was standing close to her.

"Luffy?" She gasped.

Luffy rubbed his chest with a pout, "That hurt, Ruby."

"What are you doing here," She asked. She looked at him with puffy red eyes, her breath still hitching as she struggled to regain her composer.

"Why are you crying," He questioned. Ruby's shoulders went back, here eyes narrowed, and her lips pressed together.

"I am not crying, Luffy," She said in emotionless voice.

Luffy frowned as he replied, "Stop lying, Ruby," he paused, looking at Ruby, "You were upset enough to cry. I want to know why."

"Are you requesting or ordering me to answer?" She growled.

Shocked went through his rubbery back. He stared at the red head. He thought about her question. He would perfer her to answer, willingly, but if she want to force his hand, he opened his mouth, "Both."

Ruby glared at him, answering him, "I'm homesick."

"Homesick?" Luffy asked, cocking his head to the side. Ruby sighed and explained what homesickness was. Luffy nodded and, once Ruby was finished, stated, "It's a mystery sickness."

Ruby threw up her hands in the air with a huge sigh.

"Hey Ruby," Nami called down as she bent down, looking into the room. She raised an eyebrow at the duo before she continued, "Sanji wants to know if you want a snack."

"Sure," Ruby sent Nami a smile. The red head walked past Luffy when he grabbed her arm. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Next time, you get this mysterious sickness," Luffy started, sounding serious. Ruby briefly thought he would offer a shoulder for her to cry on, but he said instead, "You should get some meat."

Ruby blinked once as what he said sunk in before she let out a series of giggles as she walked away, heading to the kitchen.

Ruby arched like a cat, trying to work out the kicks in her back. She popped her neck and felt the relief spread through her body. She turned back to the paper she worked on - her list of possible position of the crew. She didn't know if she wanted to do any more planning about Blackbeard. She just hoped if the crew somehow managed to defeat the fat bastard early on, another character won't raise up to take his position as the storyline main villain.

"—Ruby," Nami's voice cut through the daze plotting Ruby got lost in. Ruby's eyes darted around, taking the fact the crew gathered at the table. The mysterious girl on the infirmary bed, sitting up, looking around with awe expression.

' _You need to pay attention, Kisa,'_ Natasha's voice drift through her head, _'You could have killed.'_ The photom version of her mother was right. The crew may like Ruby to keep her around for her skills, but what if Luffy would take his chances without her?

Suddenly, the girl yelled, "WHAT? YOU'RE PIRATES!"

Ruby's eyes jerked over to the girl. The girl had a horrified look frozen on her face, silently freaking out. The red head let out a soft chuckle in amusement, already knowing what was going through the girl's mind. Sabo and Koala sent a confuse look and Ruby grabbed her bottle of soda, taking a long drink, ignoring them.

"What are we going to with the girl," Nami asked as the navigator walked over to her bed and started to get it ready.

"Possible drop her off at the nearest island," Ruby shrugged and she pulled off her black raincoat. In the short time she had own it, she had fell in love with the coat. It worked as well as her other SHIELD issued jacket.

"All by herself," Koala asked, "That sounds kinda cruel." A distant look entered her eyes. Ruby knew she was thinking about her time, being alone the seas until Koala ran into the Sun Pirates.

It's really up to Luffy," Ruby said, "And besides I was just a few years older then her when mom tossed me into a rain forest, saying 'see ya in a week'."

Koala and Nami looked at her with stun expressions. Ruby noticed. The red head quickly defended her mother, "What? I had asked to be trained in the same or at least a similar to the way she was," She paused, "The only difference between the way she trained me and her training, I didn't had to kill my friends to survive."

Nami gasped, "Your mother had to kill her friends?"

Ruby nodded as she pulled her shirt over her head, keeping her back to the other two and explained, "The organization that had trained mom was a very cruel to their trainees."

"Why couldn't she not kill her friends," Koala asked, digging out her night clothes and replacing the shirt she wore that day with a long night shirt.

"Because they were trying to kill her as well," Ruby admitted, kicking off her unlaced boots and she tugged off her socks.

A scream echoed through the ship. Ruby immediately grabbed her side arm before she darted up the stairs. Koala followed her. Nami, haven't changed yet, brought up the rear.

Ruby burst onto the deck, noticing the men - minus Luffy and Sanji- were climbing out of the hatch by the mast. The red head, knew the scream belong to the young girl, spirited toward the kitchen with Sabo on her heels. She saw the kitchen light was on. She burst into the room, her handgun at the ready, her trigger figure laid straight along the side of the barrel. Sabo stepped to the other side of the door with his bo staff in his hands. They paused at the sight before them.

Luffy was trapped in a large mouse trap, wiggling to get out. The only reason why he had survived that trap like that, Ruby mused, because he was made of rubber.

'Clever,' she thought.

Sanji stood by the stove, obviously getting ready to fix something, looking over his shoulder at Ruby. She felt unnerved by the look Sanji was giving her when he turned to her.

"Oh my, Ruby-gem," he cooed, "You are so beautiful standing there, in just your cute bra, brilliantly design tattoo, and equally wonderful form hugging purple pants," his visible eye landed on her belly. He stopped, trying to read the scar. Ruby knew what caused him to stop. That scar lay just below her naval. She inwardly cringed and her eyes turned to icy. She spared the girl who suddenly moved toward the fridge or the bed, the red head didn't know which. "What's that -" Sanji started, but Ruby cut him off, "Since there is no obvious danger, I'm going to bed."

Ruby spun on her bare hell. She silently hoped she wouldn't have to pick out a splinter of wood later out her heel.

~Somewhere in the New World~

"Za ha ha ha," Marshall D Teach laughed as he watched the Red Line grow in the distance. He reached for the box. A wide grin spread across his lower face. He finally had the Devil Fruit he was fated to have, "Za ha ha ha."

There was just one more fruit he needed to find. That blasted red headed bitch - Ruby if he remembered her name - and killed her. The little teenager had managed to lose her memory, somehow ended up on the Moby Dick a few years ago and left again after two weeks. Everybody mourned her leaving. Teach knew they could crack as many bird related jokes without payback from Marco. The First Division Commander had been glued to the teen's side for some reason.

Ruby, Teach knew, had to be one of Shanks' lovely daughters. If Ruby had grown up into the beautiful image as Emerald has, Teach smirked, he would take his time killing the Dimension Devil Fruit user.

"Za ha ha ha."

~Ruby~

Ruby felt an icy sensation crept down her spine as she crawled into her hanging bed. She laid there staring at the ceiling of the room she shared with Koala and Nami, trying to get some sleep. Eventually, she decided to close her eyes, slipping into a mediative like trance.

"Damn it, Ace!" Emerald screamed as the sun broke over the horizon. The Second Division Commander cursed under his breath as he hurried away from his room. He hoped he had more time before his girlfriends would wake up. Apprently not. He doubled his speed, heading to Striker.

"What time does this make?" He overheard one of the brothers commented to another.

"Fifth, I think," the other siblings replied, "Do you think he'll break his record?"

Ace ignored them. He had responsibility to, not only to Thatch, but to Pops always. Teach was apart of his Division. The betraying bastard insult Pops and broke the most important rule on any sea fairing vessel - do not kill a nakama.

Emerald, as much as Ace would love her company, would only get in the way and provide Teach a way to hurt Pops even more. He just hoped she would forgive him. Marco stepped out in front of him. Ace skidded to a halt, glaring at him.

"It's too damn early in the morning for this shit-yoi," the First Division Commnader commented, a hint of a growl in his voice, "Why don't you wait until we get news where Teach was last been seen before you leave, Ace."

Ace straightened. Marco usually never cursed. He was in a bad mood.

"Didn't sleep well, huh, Marco," Ace asked. Marco glared at him, "Guess you didn't. I think I'm going to get breakfast."

Ace turned and hurried back to the galley, leaving the irritated Marco on deck.

~The Going Merry~

Ruby bent over the bathroom sink, splashing some cold water onto her face, trying to wake up. She reached for a hand towel and patted her face dry when she heard a loud boom and felt the Merry shake.

A sighed fogged up the mirror. She was in no mood for deal with anyone's shit, this morning. She didn't fall to sleep until sometime Nami and Koala came back which was late. She pushed away from the sink and marched through the storage room as Nami and Koala climbed up from the women's quarters, looking confused.

"What happened?" Nami asked, watching Ruby.

"Don't know," Ruby's voice held a growl, "Don't care." She shrugged off her black jacket, slipping on her black leather gloves, "If it's marines, I am going have a shit ton of fun with them." She gave a blood-thristy grin to them before she tapped her shoes ties against the deck and went to the morning lit deck.

Ruby, immediately, pouted as she no other seafaring vessel. She sniffed the air, smelling smoke. She turned, looking at the kitchen where black smoke rolled from the open door. She let out a disappointed sigh. The girl walked out of the kitchen, announcing, "Breakfast is ready!"

Ruby eyed the smoke, rolling from the kitchen before she put a faux smile, replying, "Thank you, sweetheart, but I'm going train for a while and it's not good to train on a full stomach." The girl's face fell. Ruby continued, "I'm sure the rest of the crew would be most happy to eat the food you fixed."

"Really," the girl peered over the railing at the unofficial second mate.

"Really, really," Ruby sent the girl a true smile before she walked over to the rope ladder, climbed to the main sail and hung upside down. She hid her smirk as the crew disappeared into the kitchen. It was not long after wards when the girl screamed, "SPICY!"

The red head paused in her curl-up and laughed, softly under her breath. She continued her morning training, ignoring the glares she received when the non-bottomless pits members of the crew walked out of the kitchen, going to do their own thing.

Ruby walked to the kitchen, intending to grab her breakfast that Sanji made her, Nami, and Koala. She spotted Luffy and Zoro talking near the figure head. Zoro nodded in her direction. Luffy looked over his shoulder and nodded, reaching up to grab the straw hat and angled it down, indacating he was serious and hid his eyes.

Ruby felt her eyes widen with horror, her face drained of color, and she actually completed if she should jump over the railing. The fact she can't swim and will sink like a damn hammer be damed. She didn't want to face Luffy when he hid his eyes like that, like he was facing down one of the people who fucked with his crew - in one way or another.

Ruby's eyes darted around the deck. Usopp was in the crow's nest. Sabo was deep in conversation with Koala and Nami. She knew from the sounds in the kitchen. Sanji was in there with the mysterious girl. Of course, Zoro was a step behind his captain.

'I knew I should've stole sea-prism bullets from the Marines, when I had the chance,' She thought, grimly. Fear inched up from the pit she usually shoved it and clawed its way through her blood. Her heart thumped faster. She felt more aware, knowing visually where the rest of the crew, but sensed their locations as she watched Luffy walked closer to her. She knew Sabo had turned to look in their direction with a curious expression; Nami and Koala fell silent before they turned to Ruby; Usopp glanced down and froze; the racket from the kitchen drifted to silence as Sanji and the girl paused in the doorway, watching the approaching duo.

"Sanji," Luffy addressed the cook, "Zoro and I need to talk to Ruby, alone, in the kitchen."

Ruby resisted the urge to gulp. He sounded as damn serious that she had inched closer to the railing. Zoro noticed and raised an eyebrow.

Sanji didn't say a word, but pushed the girl ahead of him as he walked away. The girl glanced between the trio and went without making a fuss.

Zoro grabbed Ruby's arm. She immediately narrowed her eyes at him, pressing her lips into a firm line. She jerked her arm out of her grasp. Luffy strolled into the kitchen and wanted beside the door. Ruby went in with her back straight, head held high, and tried to appear relaxed. Zoro brought up the rear. Luffy shut the door behind the swordsman.

The red head noticed a plate already set out by the store; a small skillet with scrambled eggs mixed with pieces of ham, peppers, and cheese sat on the stove's back burner and she knew it was for her. Sanji, no doubt, had Phoenix's help to fix her post-workout breakfast. A small smile cross her lips as she went to dish herself up and grabbed a bottle of soda from the fridge. She turned to the table and asked, "It's obviously you two want to talk. What about?"

"Your conditions," Zoro spoke, "What are they?"

"Shouldn't Sanji be in here, also," Ruby shot back, "Since he is the third strongest of the official crew."

"No," Luffy replied, "He maybe the third strongest of the official crew as you said, Ruby, but you are my second mate and Sanji is my cook."

"Alright," Ruby said across from Luffy and Zoro, "you are already meeting one of my conditions," She paused opened soda bottle, "It was about Sabo and Koala traveling with us," Luffy nodded as she took a swing of her soda, "My other conditions are: One, expand the crew. The size of the current crew wouldn't cut it in the Grand Line very long. There are too many dangers for - what? 8? - eight people to handle, even with two of them have experience with the Grand Line."

"Don Krieg had a fleet at his dispel," Zoro protested, "And he lasted barely even a week."

"The dumbass disturbed a Warlord, according the accounts I've heard," Ruby countered, "not just any Warlord - the World's Strongest Swordsman, Hawk-Eye Mihawk," She took a bit of her food before she continued, "The Krieg Priates wouldn't ready to face a Warlord with the Strength to Hawk-Eye. That whole situation could have been afforded if Krieg had a skilled Diplomat on his crew and somehow managed to talk Mihawk out of attacking them."

"Do you really think so," Luffy asked, an uncertain note in his voice.

"Yes," Ruby replied as she took another bit of food, "Do you know Mihawk used to spear with Shanks, almost on a daily basis, when Shanks had both arms."

"He did," Zoro stated with surprise in his voice, looking shocked.

"They did," Luffy echoed with excitement in his voice.

"If the Krieg Pirates wanted to face a Warlord," Ruby said, "They should've sailed toward Alabasta. The Weakest of the Warlords, Crocodile, lives in Alabasta." She took another bit and went on, "A crew of 8 will not survive long in the Grand Line. However, a slightly larger crew will." She paused, "Well, let me rephrase that, a crew of any size will have a decent chance as long as they skilled navigator on the crew."

"Why?" Zoro asked.

"The Grand Line is nothing like the Blues," Ruby said, "A normal compass won't work there and the islands have their climate which causes a lot of stormy weather."

Luffy and Zoro exchanged looks.

"Anyway, back to my conditions, expand the crew of you want to get the One Piece, alive," Ruby said, "Speaking of the crew," she continued, "We all need to get a lot stronger. The Grand Line eats Weak People like Usopp and Nami for breakfast before asking for another."

"Usopp and Nami are not strong by any means," Zoro argued, "But they are not weak."

"To the standards of the first part of the Grand Line, yes, they are," Ruby argued back, "While you two and Sanji, are not strong enough to face the Weakest of the Warlords, yet," She glanced at the window, "Sabo and Koala are the only two on board this ship that could make it to halfway point and beyond to the Fishman Island, possible by themselves."

Luffy went starry-eyed and Zoro looked unconvinced. Ruby noticed both looks and resisted the urge to rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, like I was saying, you need to expand the crew," She tried to get back track, "With an expanded crew, we need to might sure that each crew member has training to become stronger. We are only as strong as our weakest member."

Zoro nodded in understanding while Luffy nodded, sagely. The mosshead asked, "Who had the final say on new crew members?"

"Luffy," She immediately answered, "I would suggest the possible crew member and what position they would fill. Example - Sabo, if he could be pursued into joining us on a premature member of the crew, would be perfect for the Diplomat position."

"Why Diplomat?" Zoro questioned.

"There will be sometimes that fighting will only increase the chance of losing a crew mate," Ruby explained, "Want an other example?" he nodded, "Say one of us gets deathly ill; not able to get out bed, high fever, disillusion - seeing things that are not there - and have an increase risk of dying as the days go on. However, the island we reached has a doctor on it, something we do not have, and the islanders are highly hostile to us because either the fact we are pirates or they have attacked by another pirate crew. This situation can be made worst if we force ourselves onto the island, but having a Diplomat talk to the islanders into letting us on the island will help us, but not fighting decreasing the chances of receiving injuries that could become infected and increased the chance of our sick crew mate surviving to see the sunrise by getting the treatment they need."

"Okay, why Sabo? Zoro asked, "Why not you?"

"First, Luffy know why I'm suggesting Sabo," Ruby stated, "Two, what if I was the deathly ill crew mate?"

Zoro, at first, looked taken back before he thought about it. He slowly nodded. Luffy stared at her with a questioning look when Ruby mention that he knew why she suggested Sabo. Of course, he knew why Sabo would be a good fit the position of Dip - fancy talk, but how did she know?

"Any other conditions?" Zoro asked.

"Just one more," Ruby replied before she took a long drink of her soda, "Ahh!" she let out a sigh, "Allow me to gather information how I see fit and don't ask questions about it," She paused, "And allow me to strategize the best possible outcome for the crew for each battle. I know I can't put Captain vs. Navigator unless requested, but I can have strongest fighters face face other."

Ruby stood up, taking her dirty plate to the sink, and grabbed a couple more bottle before she turned to face them.

"I'll step outside for you two discuss about my conditions," she announced. She walked to the kitchen door and stepped out in the mid-day sun. She didn't realized Luffy, Zoro, and her had been talking for at least an hour.

"Are you guys done?" Sanji asked, "I need to fix lunch."

Ruby shrugged before she turned to Zoro and Luffy, asking, "Sanji wants to know if he can start fixing lunch?"

"Yeah," Luffy said, "I'm hungry."

Sanji chunckled when he heard that and walked around Ruby before he shut the door. The red head walked to the front deck and lend against the railing, eyeing the figure head.

"Heya Merry," She started, softly, "I hope you are enjoying the adventure so far. It's so start of a grand one." She took a swing of soda, "But this adventure does comes costs. I'll worry about that for you, Merry, close to when it happens." She stared at the horizon, "I haven't felt this way in years - the sense of having a grand adventure and freedom." The words slipping from her lips as water. "I'm so used to getting a job done and report to another one that I forgot to take the time to smell the ocean's breeze." She fell silent, thinking about her conditions and Luffy's response.

What if Luffy actually said 'no' to her conditions? What would she do? She could form her own crew and travel around the East Blue, gathering her own crew mates and train them up until she knew they would survive in Paradise and continued training them until the entire crew would be ready for the War of the Best and the New World. What if she did regain her childhood memories and want to meet Shanks as his daughter, instead of the previous owner of the Straw Hat and the inspiration for Luffy to become the Pirate King? Ruby let a stressed sigh.

There would be a lot of 'what if's in the future either Luffy had disapproved or approved her conditions. She resisted the urge to plan, incase Luffy did approve like she had hoped, instead the other.

Ruby sensed Luffy's presence before he appeared. She turned to look at him, saying, "Have you reached your decision?"

"Yes, I have, " Luffy stated, "Ruby, I…"

~End of Chapter 8~

Damn, this was almost 2x what I wanted to write. I haven't edited this, just yet, but I will be doing so in a few days when I'm not so drained.

Reviews:

Squirpsdolphin: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this long ass chapter.


	12. Ch 9 Beginning of Training

Hello, everyone! It's has been a while. I'm been busy on this end: Moving, dealing that ex showed, old feelings, new job, realizing those old feelings will be going no-where, and publishing a book through amazon kindle. Yes, you read that right, folks. This Fan-Fic Author is a published author, now. The Book is called 'Dice Roll Fantasy Story' if you want to check it out. Basically, it is a 'creating your own fantasy story using Dice Rolls' kinda of book. Please check it out.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any known One Piece Character. I just own Ruby and her sisters.

~Ruby's Story~

Ruby sensed Luffy's presence before he appeared. She turned to look at him, saying, "Have you reached your decision?"

"Yes, I have," Luffy stated, "Ruby, I…"

"Beautiful ladies, shitheads," Sanji yelled from the kitchen. Ruby jerked in surprise. Her heart skipped a beat and thumped in her chest. The cook continued, "Dinner's ready!"

The red head shot a glare toward Sanji who already disappeared into the kitchen. She let out an annoyed breath. She spotted Zoro from the corner of her eye. His voice rumbled, "Relax, Ruby."

"Ruby," Luffy said, directing her attention back to him, "I accept your conditions and make you my second mate and Recruiting Officer."

Ruby blinked, staring at Luffy until what he said sunk in. He accepted her conditions, making her his second mate and recruiting officer. She opened her mouth, "Why recruiting officer?"

Zoro answered this time, "Is it not what you are?" At Ruby's confused look, he explained, "Just like you said, you want to expand the crew and will make suggestions, but Luffy will have the final say."

"Alright," Ruby felt somewhat lost on what to do, next. She had tried not to think about what would happen if Luffy had actually agreed her terms, so she really didn't think about it. She had just waited. She blinked, again before she finally, "Well," Zoro smirked at her, knowing Luffy had caught her off guard, "Let's go eat dinner and give out some ideas while we eat."

"Yosh!" Luffy's grin split his lower face and he rushed off, "Let's eat."

Zoro turned and followed after Luffy. Ruby brought the rear, the gears in her head already spinning. She knew it would be a good idea to get some more crew mates while they were in the East Blue.

She felt the light-bulb light up above her head. The Marines were after Luffy. Garp was already in the East Blue, no doubt, looking for Luffy, intending to start his training as a Marine a year early, and create some possible excuse for Luffy's bounty. The trio entered the kitchen. Nami sat in the middle of the bench closest to the door, leaving a space at the end for Ruby. Sabo sat on the other side of Nami, leaving a space between them for Sanji. Koala sat across from the blond chief of staff. Usopp sat in the middle of the bench, leaving a space for Zoro at the end which the swordsman quickly filled. Luffy shot toward the chair at the end of the table, sitting next to Zoro. Ruby, going for the place between Luffy and Nami, sat down at the table and Sanji put a plate in front of her. She sent the cook a grateful smile before she grabbed the silver wear and dug in. Sanji took the last empty sit between Nami and Sabo with a plate for himself. Ruby spotted the blond girl sitting at the end of the table between Koala and Sabo.

"Hey, Ruby," Nami nudged the former spy-agent gently in the ribs, "What did you, Luffy, and Zoro talk about earlier?"

"Ask him," Ruby pointed at the Straw Hat Captain. Nami sent her annoyed look. Lips twitching, Ruby glanced at Luffy. He was busy, shoving food into his mouth when he noticed the crew staring at him, he quickly shallowed and stated, "Ruby is our official second mate and Recruiting Officer."

The red head reached for her soda bottle, knowing she would have to explain the Recruiting Officer duties to the crew. She brought the bottle to her lips as Usopp voiced the question, "What is a recruiting officer?"

Ruby took a swung and shallowed when Sabo answered, "Well, Usopp-san, a recruiting officer usually recruits people to join an organization or cause."

Sabo's voice held a note Ruby couldn't decide if it was supposed to be amused or simple talking to an idiot. She pressed her lips, together to hide the smirk that threaten to show. The blonde finished, "Isn't there, right, Ruby-chan?"

"Of course, Sabo-kun," Ruby's voice held slight purr. The corner of her lips twitched before she was serious, "Sabo is right. In this case, I will be recruiting for the crew as well as gathering information, my way."

"How will you be recruiting new crew members?" Usopp questioned, "When we are in the middle of the ocean?"

"Well, silly long-nose," Ruby started, "I'll recruit when we are at port."

"And gather information," Usopp narrowed his eyes, "How would you get this information?"

Ruby's eye twitched as she tried to hold back any negative comments. She took a breath and stated, "I will gather information, just like how my mom does." A blood-thirsty grin spread across her face as she calmly twirled the butter knife in her hand. She glanced at the butter knife with a curious expression.

She heard Usopp gulp before he gathered his what little courage he had and asked, "How?"

"With this," She indicated the butter knife, "I wonder how well it work, though."

Zoro paused, looking at her with a guarded expression. Luffy continued eating, but his eyes were on Ruby. Nami scooted closer to Sanji, trying create more space between herself and Ruby. The blond cook watched her from the corner of his eyes, slipping an arm around Nami's waist. Across the table, sitting next to Zoro, Usopp's face lost color as he processed what she didn't say. Sabo and Koala sat across from each other at the end of table. They continued to eat, calmly, but Ruby knew it was act, they were on guard. The girl, sitting between the two Revolutionaries, paled and fell backwards. Sabo jumped out of his seat and managed to catch the girl.

Koala and Nami sent Ruby a glare. The red head sighed, setting the butter knife on the side of her plate before she stood up, stepping out from the behind the bench and walked over to Sabo. "I'll take her down to the women's quarters," Ruby held out her arms for the fainted girl. Sabo stared at her. She met his gaze and held it. He finally nodded, passing the girl to Ruby. The red head shifted the girl in her arms and left the kitchen.

Ruby was surprise that nobody protested, but she knew the conversation would start as soon as she disappeared. She walked down the stairs and turned, heading to the storage room door when Usopp finally broke the silence, "That- that- that red head demon-"

Demon? She softly snorted. Like she hadn't that one before.

"-Is a monster!" Usopp declared, "She shouldn't be on this ship! We should drop on her on the next island and leave her there!"

"Obviously, there's something wrong with her, Luffy," Nami spoke up, "A sound person won't wonder how well a butter knife will do, cutting a person."

"Nami's right," Usopp quickly agreed, "I don't think Ruby should be a part of this crew. She's too dangerous to us."

"I would like to point something, Mr. Captain," Sabo spoke up and Ruby wondered if it would be in her defense or not, "I think the only person on aboard that is safe from Ms Ruby is that little girl, Apis."

Ruby glanced down at the girl she held. Apis was her name. Oooh yeah! Ruby remembered this arc, now. Apis ate the devil fruit, gained the ability to talk to animal, and was in the process of helping of ancient dragon to go home.

"Why do you say that?" Zoro asked.

"I noticed something last night about Ruby's tattoo," Sabo admitted, "And Koala confirmed it for me this morning."

"What's that?" Usopp asked.

"Now, you mention it," Sanji commented, "There was something off about her tattoo, from what I saw last night. Like she had something she trying to hide."

"Like maybe," Usopp's voice held a sneer, "She is really a marine, trying to capture Luffy before he becomes too much of a threat."

"She has scars on both her lower back and midsection," Koala growled, "If Ruby was a marine, like you say, Sabo and I are bigger paydays. She knew who Sabo was when she met him. She could have turned him in and set a trap for the rest of Revolutionaries that was in Logutown. Yes, Ruby is dangerous, but she is only dangerous to those who want harm her." There was a silence before she finished, "And I think she will be more dangerous if someone's harms a person she cares about."

Ruby raised her eyebrow. She was not aware she came across that way. Koala was right, though.

"Just like Shanks," Luffy cried out. Ruby's shoulders slumped. It was just like Luffy to make a comparison to his hero. Ruby walked to the storage room door, managed to grab the knob twist it, pushed it open, and walked in, kicking the door behind her.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, everyone turned to looked at the doorway with surprise. Zoro's voice drift through the air as he made the commented, "She heard you."

"Really?" Nami scrawled, "I wouldn't think she did," the sarcastic barb slid off her tongue.

"Either way," Usopp said, "I still think she needs to get off the ship before she harms one of the us." His eyes darted to the doorway every few seconds.

"You mean you," Zoro corrected the long nose sniper. Usopp glared at the swordsman before he added, "Or Nami or that little girl."

"Apis is safe," Sabo argued, "Ruby won't harm an innocent."

"How would you know anyway," Usopp argued, "And Ruby wanted you and Koala to travel with us," It was obviously he just remembered that, "Why is that?"

Sabo and Koala glanced at each other before they shrugged. Zoro noticed out of the corner of his eye flashed of red hair as Ruby returned but lingered outside the door.

"Why don't you answer the question," Usopp placed his hands on the table, looking between them with narrowed eyes, standing up.

Ruby's eye twitched. She knew Usopp was a coward and annoying habit overstepping his position until the whole situation with the Going Merry in Water 7, but he didn't overstep his position again after he was allowed to rejoin the crew. She stepped into the door frame, lending against with her arms crossed over her chest. Usopp sat back with a soft noise.

"I can answer that," Ruby spoke up. Usopp flinched like she just struck him and glared at her. Nami let out a soft squeak, trying hid in Sanji's side. Those two were the only ones who showed emotion about her reappearance. "It's simple," She commented before she pushed away from the door frame, walking to her spot between Luffy and Nami, "I requested for them to come along."

Ruby sat down, grabbing her soda and shallowed the carbonated drink. She glanced at the crew, asking, "Anything else before I start with a possible plan to get Smoker, Crystal, and -" She pointed at Luffy, "- Your grandfather off our backs for a bit, allowing us some breaking room and have those three stretching their heads, wondering what the hell are we doing."

"Yeah," Usopp said. He stood up with a glare and growled, "How do we know you won't hurt us or that little girl?"

Ruby sighed, commenting a drawling, bored voice, "You are a broken record, Usopp, asking the same question over and over, but I'll be nice and answer it. I have a personal code, I'll even put in small words for you to understand," Sabo snorted in amusement, "I won't harm, hurt or injury an innocent, that includes children unless they proved to be dangerous to my team," Ruby took a breath before she continued, "If you are wondering, my team is the people I work with," She glanced at Usopp, "Which means the Straw Hats Pirates."

Usopp's eyes narrowed at the veiled insult to his intelligence. He growled before he opened his mouth to continue arguing his point, but Zoro cut him off, trying to redirect the conversation that Ruby, Luffy, and he wanted to have, "So, Ruby, where do you think you will start recruiting?"

Ruby pouted, slightly, commenting, "Ah, Zoro, you ruin my fun." She sobered up and turned to Nami, "Miss Navigator, what's our heading?"

"We are heading east, heading to Warship Island," the organette replied in a guarded tone like she didn't trust Ruby.

'Smart girl,' the former agent smirked before she announced, "I'll start recruiting there. However, I do think it would be best we stay in the East Blue for a short while."

"In a way to confuse the Marines like you said," Zoro said, taking a drink of his ale, pushing away his empty plate.

Ruby nodded, "I think we should visit a few more island, here, in the East Blue. Maybe we could also stop by your home islands before leaving for the Grand Line." She gazed around the table, seeing the small grins that started to spread across their faces at the thought of seeing their loved ones, again. She knew the East Blue was known to be the weakest of the seas, but she knew that Gol D. Roger and his core crew; Garp, and Ace and his core crew were East Blue people. For some damn reason, the East Blue turned out the some of the strongest people this world had ever known. Ruby knew there was a reason behind it. She also knew she might not find it.

"It thought be nice to see how the Baratie is coming along," Sanji spoke up with a hint of glee in his voice.

"Oh, that's a great idea," Luffy cried out as he thought about it, "Sabo, you will be able to see Dadan and the others, again," his face brightened as he grinned, talking animatedly. It slowly spread around the table. However, Sabo slowly turned his head to glare, around Sanji, at Ruby, who ignored him.

"It would be nice to see Nojiko, again," Nami whispered, looking down at the bracelet her sister gave her.

Usopp slowly nodded, agreeing, "I hope Kaya and the old-Usopp Pirates are doing well."

The atmosphere turned to dark when Zoro spoke up, asking, "Are you planning to recruit while we are at our home islands?"

The crew fell silently, waiting for Ruby's response. Nami glanced down at the bracelet Nojiko gave her before leaving and remembered the few times that the older sister had begged to help Nami out, by going with the organette to collect the necessary amount of money that Arlong wanted to buy back Cocoyashi Village.

Sanji frowned, remembering the short moments where he would turn to yell at one of the cooks he used to work with to only remember that the cook was not there, that Sanji had left the floating restaurant to live a pirate's life as a cook. He smirked inwardly as he knew that would have pissed off his old blood related family. The only downside was he was not there to see their faces when his future bounty poster, but he knew that would cause more problems for the Straw Hats in the long run.

Usopp hoped the evil red head wouldn't try to recruit Kaya or any other person from his village. He didn't want them even to get a glimpse of the cunning siren sitting at the table with him and his crew. He didn't understand why he was the only one to see Ruby for what she was. He would have to figure out a way to expose her for the evil, cunning, murderer that she was.

Zoro watched Usopp's expression as the long-nose sniper's face flickered between hope, despair, and anger before it settled on determination. The swordsman grabbed his small barrel, taking a long drink. Usopp would cause a lot of trouble for Ruby, but the way she acted and moved, the red head could handle it. His thought drifted toward his old bounty hunting partners, Johnny and (The other one). There was a chance the Straw Hats would run into them again. Would Ruby ask them to join the Straw Hats? If she did, would they even want to? He withheld a snort. He knew they would, at a heartbeat, because of him. He did miss their company, sometimes, and he would have to train them, himself, for them to have a fighting chance on the Grand Line.

Luffy paused, briefly, thinking about Zoro's question. He didn't know if there was anyone on his island that would even join up with him. He remembered there was a girl he and Ace used to hang out with, after Sabo left them. She wanted to be a world-famous…he couldn't remember what the word she used, but he knew it was something to do with clothes. Ace had often complained that he was not a doll for her to play with. She had argued that he was since he always wore raggy, old clothes that barely fit him anymore. Luffy had enjoyed it, wearing the clothes she had created. They were comfortable. Maybe if he ran into her, again, he would ask.

"Don't know," Ruby kept her voice, even, disinterested as she answered, "I might if there is someone that this crew will benefit from if the person joins, I will talk to them."

Zoro nodded, "What about training? You told Luffy and myself, we are only strong as our weakest crew member." He gave Usopp sidelong glance, knowing who the weakest member of the crew was. He was already thinking of a way to increase Usopp's physical strength. He turned his gaze back to Ruby.

"Along with each new crew member, I'll train them, however, Nami and Usopp will start training in the morning with me," Ruby started before she took a bite of the food that Sanji made.

"WHAT?" Usopp roared as Zoro and Ruby turned their gazes on him, "No way in hell I'm allowing you to train me." He recognized Zoro's glare and huffed, "I don't need any training."

Ruby gave Usopp a scathing glare before she shallowed and continued like he had interrupted her, "Sabo, could you be a dear and help Nami with her bo staff?" She turned to the blond with a sweet smile. She decided to butter the revolutionary up a little. "I'm sure Nami would greatly benefit from your training since you are highly skilled with a bo staff and besides, you and Koala are the strongest ones on this ship." She paused, letting her words sink into Sabo's head before she finished with a "Please?"

Sabo sent her amused smirk, informing her he exactly knew what she was doing. He opened his mouth and replied, "Why, Ruby, you flatter me!" He sent her a wink causing the red head to smirk in amusement. "Since you did say 'please', it would be my greatest honor to help the beautiful Nami to increase her skill with her bo staff." Sabo, this time, sent Nami a wink.

Nami let out a soft giggle. Sanji turned his head to glare at Sabo, grinding his teeth around his cigarette. Ruby snorted in amusement. Koala giggled.

"What kind of training you be putting Nami and Usopp through, Ruby?" Zoro asked, getting the conversation back on track.

Ruby turned her attention back to Zoro and replied, "Basic defense training, in case, they ever find themselves without their weapons. This way, they would be able to fund off any attacker long enough for one of us - meaning stronger members of the crew - get there to help them out." She took a drink before she continued, "If they continued the training on their own, they might be get strong enough where they can stand on their own against an attacker."

A loud alarm echoed through the woman's quarters the following morning. Ruby groaned, hearing the familiar song that she used as an alarm, falling back into the mind-set of a college student. She stared up at the ceiling through blurry eyes. She tossed her hand, grabbing the edge of her bedding and tossed it back. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and pushed up. Her eyes snapped wide-open. She felt her bare heels scrap the edge of the bar top and a sharp pain rippled up from her rear before she threw her hands out in front of her. A cry of surprise echoed through the room as she landed on her hands and knees. She blinked as her eyes roamed around the wooden cabin. Where the hell was she? She blinked again. Her eyes landed on the sleeping bundles.

Another scream rang through the room as Apis shot up from her bed. Koala shot up into a sitting position, looking around with a pair of tired eyes. Nami jerked awake, searching for trouble. Apis fell silent. The song's lyrics rang through the cabin, singing a song about an inner monster.

'Oh, yeah,' Ruby thought, 'I remember now.' She yawned as she pushed herself to her feet and walked over to where she had placed her phone the previous night. She tried to remember why she had set an alarm in the first place as she turned off the alarm, yawning widely, closing her eyes. She blinked, thinking. An ghostly image of her mother and teacher walked from behind her with a raised eyebrow. Her voice drifted through Ruby's ears, "You said Nami and Usopp needed training. You agreed to train them, last night, Ruby."

Ah, yes, Mom was right, Ruby mused, thank you momma for the reminder. The new Second mate turned to Nami who already threw back the covers and stood up, getting ready to change from her pjs to what she wore for this arc. Ruby said, "Nami, made sure to wear loose fitting clothes like a pair of shorts and a loose tank top. By the time this morning's training be over, you will have worked up a sweat."

Nami yawned, nodding in understanding, before she knelt to the edge of the bed, reaching out for the one of the drawers and pulled it out. She grabbed a set of clothes and started to get changed.

Ruby went to her bag and grabbed her training clothes before she changed. Once they were ready for training, the two women went upstairs, leaving Koala and Apis alone in the women's quarters. Apis already fell back to sleep in Nami's bed while Koala curled back up on the soft bed-padding.

Once out of the women's quarters, Ruby heard Usopp's ringing out loud, complaining, "I can't believe I'm up this early for this so-called training." Usopp paused, "That woman can't be as skilled as she is boosting. I mean, look at her! She doesn't look like she can take on Zoro, here, without breaking a nail, let alone kill me. I think I can take her. I just choose not to. Why? I don't want to hurt her," Usopp rambled on.

Ruby pushed back the door, revealing the storage room and let out a soft groan as Usopp's voice rang through the closed door to the deck, commenting loud enough to wake the dead, "That annoying woman can't be as skilled as she is boosting that she is." A paused before he continued, "She doesn't look like she can take on Zoro or Luffy without breaking a nail, let alone hurt me in any fashion. I think I can take her. Ha ha!"

Ruby shook her head in faint amusement. How should she handle this? Stealth or with a bang? Usually, that decision would be handled by Agent Coulson, her handler, but ever since New York, it has been Agent Hill. She frowned, thinking, as she peered through the porthole.

"Yeah, I only choose not to because I don't want to hurt the poor woman," Usopp went on. Ruby saw him standing near the railing with his arms crossed over his chest, standing defiant, "She would whine and complain about how much pain she would be in if I did hurt her."

She frowned, deeper becoming more annoyed by the second. She turned to Koala and Nami, putting a finger to her lips, signaling the other two to be quiet. She grabbed the handle, twisted, and crept out, slowly and silently. She held up a finger against her lips, signaling to the men except the complaining Usopp to be quiet about her.

"I have faced many wanna-be assassins like her," Usopp's voice held a grin, "Once, when I was 12, I took an entire group of assassins with my awesome skills with my slingshot. I, of course, showed mercy on them and allowed them to live."

Ruby crept a few feet forward before she broke out in a run. A foot away from the liar, the red head jumped. Her right foot flew up, catching on Usopp's hip. He let out a cry of surprise as Ruby swung her other leg over his shoulder before she tightened her core and shifted her weight forward, sharply. Her legs grabbed Usopp tightly.

Ruby smirked in amusement. Usopp's eyes widened in surprise and horror as Ruby's weight cause him to pitch forward. Ruby slammed her hands against the railing and using her legs and core, threw Usopp overboard. Usopp let out a sharp cry once he realized what happen. The cry was replaced by a loud splash.

Ruby swung her legs around and sat on the railing, facing the rest of the crew. Luffy looked a mixed of amusement and surprise. Sabo's cheeks reddened as he bit his lower lip. Sanji stared at her with a guarded look. Ruby noticed the gleam of recognition in his eye. She briefly wondered where he had seen that move.

"Thank you for shutting him up," Zoro drawled. Ruby nodded in his direction.

Nami gave her an impressed look and asked as she approached, "Will I be able to do that?"

"Eventually," Ruby admitted. She heard Usopp break the surface.

"OI!" Usopp called up, "Ruby, why did you do that?"

"To prove a point," Ruby said before she turned to Sanji with a cheery look on her face, asking, "So, what are we having for breakfast?" 

The gleam of recognition disappeared from Sanji's eye as he blinked, thinking about Ruby's question before he answered, "Eggs, bacon, and toast - something light, not too heavy on the stomach since you will be training."

"Alright," She nodded, "Could you get started while I talk with Nami and Usopp?" 

"Anything for you, my sweet gem," Sanji cooed, dancing up the stairs, heading to the kitchen. 

"Could someone toss me down the ladder," Usopp called up. 

"Nope," Ruby looked over her shoulder, "Climb up the side of the ship." Usopp sputtered in surprise and outrage," Consider it to be part of your training." 

"RUBY!" Usopp hollered. The red head assassin ignored him as she pushed away from the railing. She walked toward the front deck and sat down on the third step.

"Are you planning to toss me overboard and make me do that to me," Nami asked, looking nervously where Ruby has tossed Usopp overboard. 

"Nope," the red head popped the p, "I have different training method in mind for you." She sent a smirk toward the navigator, "Usopp was simply trying to boost that he could defeat me. I just prove I could kill him and he won't see me coming." There was a loud squeak followed by another splash. 

"I think your proved your point," Sabo drawled out. 

"He still had to climb back on board before he gets breakfast," Ruby stated. 

"So," Nami started, "What do you have planned for me?" 

"The body and the mind of a woman are her greatest weapons," Ruby gave the navigator a grim smile. An image flashed through her mind and she was suddenly back in that one room, trying to seduce the Winter Soldier into giving her the key to her ankle chains and allow her to leave. She nearly had done it, too, until the other soldiers had stormed in and dragged him away and they beat her black and blue, except her midsection. She blinked, pushing the images, and continued like nothing happened, "While her heart is her greatest weakness," She paused, "I will be teaching how to be a Black Widow without the shit my mom was forced to do." She added, silently, 'And I was about to do.' 

"And what was that?" Koala asked, head tilting to the side. 

"Kill or be killed," Ruby said, emotionless. 

"Killed by who," Sabo asked, looking at the red head. 

"By her friends, sisters-in-arms, to just survive," Ruby answered. A sharp gust soared through her hair, loud in the dead silence. Ruby's eyes flickered toward the kitchen. Sanji stood in the doorway. "Well, breakfast appears to be ready," she announced. She got up and walked over to the railing. Usopp really needed to eat before he started training. She knew it. She reached down and grabbed the rope ladder and tossed it overboard. Her lips twitched into a smirk when Usopp yelped in surprise. She continued walking to the kitchen without another word. 

After breakfast, Ruby stood in the middle of the deck, staring at Nami and Usopp. She opened her mouth to begin talking, "Have either of you trained before? And don't lie about it. I will throw your ass overboard if I discover you lied," She sent a glare at Usopp. He gulped. 

"I have little formal training," Nami said, "I only learned how to use a bo staff from trial and error." 

Ruby nodded. Her mind already buzzed with possibilities, "Do you prefer to stick with a bo staff or would you like to learn other types of weapons?" 

"I haven't gave it much thought," The navigator confessed, looking thoughtful. 

"Alright," Ruby nodded, "I'll get back with you. Usopp, what about you?" 

"I just have my slingshot," He said, lamely. 

"Did someone trained you to use the slingshot?" Ruby questioned. She noticed there was a glint in Usopp's eyes as he grabbed the hilt of the slingshot. 

"My dad," Usopp said in a low voice, "Before he left." Ruby frowned. He shouldn't be saying that in a low volume. That was something he should be proud of, not acting ashamed. Perhaps there was another reason why he was acting this way. It gave something for her to think about while she trained the long-nose sniper. 

"Next time, Usopp," Ruby commented with raised eyebrows, "Say that with pride." Usopp blinked in surprise. Maybe she was acting too hard on him, she mused before she continued, "You have some formal training with a slingshot. Do you like to learn how to use a gun or another weapon?" 

"I used a gun when I faced Daddy, the bounty Hunter," He replied. 

"Was that your first time using a pistol?" she asked. She knew it was, at least, in the show. She didn't know about the manga. 

"No," Usopp admitted, shifting uncomfortably on his feet, "It was the second time." 

The red head blinked, shocked, before she had to remind herself this was no longer just a story, that there were events happening or happened that changed the One Piece Story line, some of them she had no clue about. Usopp had used a gun in the past was one of those times. 

She stared at Usopp, waiting for him to go on, but he remained tightlipped. Interesting, she mused before she continued on, "Did you noticed any differences between the times you fired a gun?" 

His eyes went to the deck as he shifted his weight foot to foot and he kept silent. 

Ruby frowned at Usopp's actions, thinking about it. He obviously noticed a difference between the two times. She knew her personal experience - first time: She was scared shit less, hoping the Glock wouldn't jam, the long time for the trigger to be pushed by her index finger, hands shaking, then the gun fired, echoed loudly in her ears as her heart skipped a beat, her eyes widened and her arms dropped to her sides like lead as the gun slipped from her hands, hitting the ground at the same time the body did. 

The second time was a lot easy. She knew what to expected and she was able to steel himself. That didn't mean she was not scared shit less about the encounter. 

"Usopp," She announced, catching his attention. There was something in her tone that cause him to look up at her, "Come with me." She announced. "Sabo, Zoro, show Nami how to stretch properly where she doesn't hurt herself during training." She turned on her heel.

~Ruby's Story~

Thank you for reading this chapter. I hope you really enjoyed it. Please let me know what your thoughts are for this chapter. I will try to update again sometime by September, hopefully. In fact, I have already started on the next chapter.

Reviewers of the previous chapter. Thank you for your awesome support!

Yaoi-Freak2580: I hope you enjoy this chapter, too. Yes, I thought ending the last chapter was a good move on my part.

 **NEW MEMBER OF THE CREW:** Please give a warm welcome to Queen Mo-Freakin.

Queen Mo-Freakin: I'm glad you find this story and you are enjoying it. About the language translation in the ch 2 (?), there could be more coming up. I will be putting the translation at the bottom of the chapter. Thank you for your support.

 **Preview:**

 _Why did Usopp lie to Luffy? She didn't understand why. She made a mental note of it, to ask him later. What if she went along with Usopp's lie? It was true she had promise to train him and Nami. She could that as an excuse it was training, not what it was._

 _What if she didn't go along with the lie and told Luffy what really happen? It would show weakness on her part. It proved she had a weakness. She never got over the fear of that happening again. A fear of being trapped in a room, no way to escape, beaten daily, and eventually raped again, and again. She knew the anime and manga characters of One Piece. She knew those characters would not do that. This crew was not those Characters. These were real, flesh and blood people, not black and white drawings on paper. They had a darker side then the story had hinted at. They were more dangerous then the story had portrayed them to be. She knew them to be. Hell, she was trying to help Usopp and Nami to be more dangerous to their enemies. She already knew what kind of shit the Straw Hat Crew was going to go through after they enter the Grand Line. If Usopp and Nami didn't get stronger, they will be forced to rely on the other members of the crew to provide them back up. If they went through training with Ruby, they will be stronger and won't be relying on the stronger members of the crew for help._

 _Damn it! There were just too many possibilities in this situation. Ruby didn't know what to do. Something hardened inside and she made the decision - Lie and protect yourself, Treat this just like a SHIELD mission._


End file.
